“Israel's ongoing destabilized and irresponsible actions and atrocities against the nations in the region are a real threat to regional and international peace and security,” Amir Saeid Iravani said as he addressed a UN Security Council session in New York on Thursday.
He noted that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to expand and escalate the conflict in the region to stay in power, emphasizing that the members of the Security Council must not allow the body to be held hostage to the ambitions of such a "belligerent regime."
“It is time for the Security Council to shoulder its responsibility and address the real threat to international peace and security. The Security Council must promptly fulfill its duty under Chapter 7 of the Charter in response to Israel's reckless defiance.
“It must take urgent and punitive measures to compel this regime to stop its genocide and massacre against the people of Gaza and uphold its obligations especially fully implement the UNSC resolutions and legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice,” the Iranian diplomat pointed out.
Iravani underscored that Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories were in response to the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack of April 1 against the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital Damascus.
“Iran's operation was entirely in the exercise of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense as outlined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and recognized by international law.
"This concluded action was necessary and proportionate. It was precise and only targeted military objectives, and carried out carefully to minimize the potential for escalation and prevent civilian harm,” he stated.
The Iranian UN envoy went on to condemn the tendency of certain Security Council members, including the United States, Britain and France, to once again turn a blind eye to reality and overlook the root causes of the current crisis.
“In hypocritical behavior, these three countries falsely blamed and accused Iran without considering their own failures to uphold their international commitments to peace and security in the region. They made unsuccessful attempts to use lies, manipulate the narrative, spread disinformation, and engage in a destructive blame game.
“All the while, they deliberately disregarded Iran's inherent right to respond to the violation of a fundamental principle of international law: the inviolability of diplomatic representatives and premises. Moreover, they ignored the underlying root causes of the current situation in the region,” Iravani stated.
The Iranian UN ambassador finally stated that the Islamic Republic has no intention of engaging in conflict with the US in the region; however, it will use its inherent right to respond proportionately if Washington initiates military operations against Iran, its citizens, or its security and interests.
MNA/Press TV