UN Coalition Denounces Israeli Attack on Iran as UN Charter Breach

The 18-member UN group issued a statement Wednesday condemning Israel's “premeditated and heinous” aggression on October 26, which resulted in the deaths of four Iranian servicemen and one civilian, according to IRNA.

Israeli warplanes reportedly used US-controlled airspace over Iraq to launch strikes on military sites in Iran's Tehran, Khuzestan, and Ilam provinces, blatantly violating the nation’s sovereignty.

Iran's General Staff confirmed that Israel conducted the attacks through US-controlled airspace in Iraq, noting that a significant number of missiles were intercepted, preventing Israeli planes from entering Iranian airspace.

In response, Iran has vowed to defend its rights and address the attack.

The UN group highlighted that this attack contravenes the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against any nation’s territorial integrity. The statement expressed grave concern over Israel’s continuous provocations, which risk igniting broader conflict in the region.

The group urged accountability for Israel's actions, condemning its repeated violations of international law and aggressive stance toward neighboring states, including its ongoing actions in occupied territories.

“Just as repeated gross violations of international law, the provocations and aggressions of the Israeli regime against the countries of the region show its intention to escalate tensions,” the statement said.

It stressed the urgent need to hold the Israeli regime accountable for all its crimes against the people of Palestine and other Arab nations in the occupied territories and across the region.

The member countries of the group expressed their solid solidarity with the Iranian people and government and offered their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Israeli attack.

The Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations was established in July 2021 in New York with initial 16 UN member states (Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Nicaragua, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, and Venezuela) and one UN observer state (Palestine).

Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe and Mali later joined the group while Burundi, Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa and Vietnam were given the observer status in 2022.

The main goal of the grouping is to support the UN Charter and serve as a platform, among other things, to promote the prevalence of legality over force.