Envoy Rejects West’s Baseless, Misleading Accusations against Iran

Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani, in an identical letter to the President of the Security Council and the Secretary General of the United Nations on Wednesday criticized the US and its allies of fueling the flame of war by supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons.

Sending advanced weapons by the West, especially the US, has prolonged the war in Ukraine and harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure, the Iranian envoy said his letter, adding that any claim that Iran is involved in the sale, export or transfer of arms to the Russian Federation and violation of its international obligations are therefore completely baseless

Iravani also said that contrary to the claim of the American representative to the UN, it is actually the United States, not Iran, which is the main supporter and promoter of terrorism in the region and the world.

The full text of the letter is as follows:

I am writing to you regarding the UN Security Council open briefing held on 30 August 2024 under the agenda item “Threats to international peace and security,” which focused on supplying Western weapons to Ukraine (S/PV.9716). During this meeting, the representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, and France once again made a coordinated effort to make identical allegations against my country concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The representatives of France and the United Kingdom falsely linked their claims to UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), while the United States representative, along with the same allegations, also accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of supporting terrorism. These accusations are misleading, completely unfounded and hereby categorically rejected.

The Islamic Republic of Iran views these allegations as merely the narrow and shortsighted political agendas of these three permanent members of the Council, aimed at advancing their own political interests, as evidenced by their records in the Council. It is both ironic and hypocritical that three countries directly involved in the Ukraine conflict and significantly contributing to its escalation through the supply of advanced weaponry have boldly made such baseless claims against Iran. The United States and its allies cannot deny the undeniable reality that their provision of Western arms and advanced weaponry, especially by the United States, has prolonged the war in Ukraine and inflicted harm on civilians and civilian infrastructure.

As stated on numerous occasions, including in a letter dated 30 July 2024 (S/2024/580), Resolution 2231 has nothing to do with the Ukrainian conflict. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently fulfilled its obligations and remains dedicated to doing so. Therefore, any allegations suggesting Iran's involvement in the sale, export, or transfer of arms in violation of its international commitments to the Russian Federation are entirely baseless and categorically rejected. Iran once again reaffirms its unwavering commitment to upholding international humanitarian law.

Contrary to the United States’ representative’s claim, it is indeed the United States, not Iran, that is the primary advocate and propagator of terrorism, both in the region and globally. The United States is number one in sponsoring Israel, the most dangerous terrorist regime in the world. The United States continues defending the crime of genocide against the Palestinian people in providing Israel with an endless cache of weapons to terrorize and massacre the innocent people of Palestine, including children and women, prolonging the bloodshed and horror in the Gaza Strip. Moreover, the US support of UN-designated terrorist groups, such as Al-Nusrah Front (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) and Daesh in its occupation areas in the Syria Arab Republic and the region in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the pertinent Security Council resolutions, is evidence of how the United States is the principal sponsor of terrorism.

Furthermore, the responsibility of the United States as the strategic ally and main supporter of the Israeli regime in the region cannot be overlooked in the recent horrific assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas and former Prime Minister of Palestine in Tehran conducted by Israel on 31 July 2024. This heinous crime could not have occurred without the authorization and intelligence support of the U.S. In addition, the United States was directly involved in the cowardly assassination of Martyr Major General Qassem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an official branch of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his companions which was carried out by the United States Forces at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq.

This act of terrorism and atrocious crime was conducted on the direct order of the then-President of the United States on 3 January 2020 while the Commander was visiting Iraq at the formal request of the Iraqi Government. Given its dark record, the United States has no standing to accuse other members of the United Nations, like Iran, of unfounded allegations.

It is requested that the present correspondence be registered and distributed as a document of the Security Council. Taking this opportunity, I extend my best regards.