Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi formally charged Israel and the United States on Sunday with committing a “cowardly act of terror” against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader.
Araghchi said that the US and Israel intentionally targeted Khamenei on February 28 in “unprovoked and unjustified acts of aggression” against Iran’s sovereignty in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council members.I’m writing to draw your immediate attention to the most recent heinous and illegal conduct committed by the Israeli government and the United States against the wonderful country of Iran.In the letter, Araghchi stated that failing to take decisive action against such behavior would not only give its perpetrators more confidence but also cause irreversible harm to the foundations of the international legal order for decades to come.
Citing Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which forbids the use of force against any state’s territorial integrity or political independence, he described the strike as a “grave and unprecedented breach” of international law.
Israel and the United States have been attacking Iran since Saturday morning, killing the country’s supreme leader and numerous other high-ranking security personnel.
In retaliation, Iran attacked US and Israeli assets in the area with drones and missiles, forcing many Gulf governments to close their airspace.
In addition, the letter cited Article 51, which upheld Iran’s “inherent and unequivocal right” to self-defense.The Islamic Republic of Iran humbly calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to fulfill their Charter-mandated duties for the maintenance of international peace and security in light of the aforementioned, and at a time when the normalization of serious violations of international law regrettably threatens the integrity of the international system, to take immediate, tangible, and effective steps to ensure the full accountability of the United States and the Israeli regime for the aforementioned atrocious terrorist act,” Araghchi said.
He asked that the letter be distributed as a formal Security Council document. (AA)
