Araghchi’s Letter to the UN Secretary-General and President of the Security Council

According to Saed News, the full text of the letter is as follows:

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

With reference to the letter dated 13 June 2025 (S/2025/379) regarding the aggressive actions of the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran during the period of 13 to 24 June 2025, and other related correspondences, this letter serves as a reminder of the primary responsibility of the United Nations Security Council to maintain international peace and security.

Since the onset of Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran on 13 June 2025 — a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter — numerous residential areas, civilians, and civilian infrastructure have been deliberately targeted, in clear violation of international law. While full damage assessments are still underway, several hospitals and relief centers have been struck, constituting serious breaches of international humanitarian law. Additionally, certain energy facilities were targeted to disrupt civilian life.

Iran’s nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — located in Qom, Arak, Natanz, and Isfahan — have also been attacked by the Israeli regime and the United States, in grave violation of the UN Charter, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), IAEA regulations, and its related resolutions.

These unilateral attacks on Iran violate several foundational rules of international law, including:

• The right to life as stated in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

• The international prohibition on the use of force, under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and customary international law (General Assembly Resolution 2625, 1970: Declaration on Principles of International Law), which holds jus cogens status;

• The prohibition on aggression (General Assembly Resolution 3314, 1974: Definition of Aggression);

• The obligation of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states (Resolution 2625, 1970);

• The duty to respect the sovereignty of other states;

• The Iranian people’s right to self-determination under Article 1(2) of the UN Charter and Article 1(1) common to the ICCPR and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

In response to this aggression, numerous UN member states, as well as regional and international organizations, have strongly condemned the attacks as grave violations of the UN Charter. These include the Non-Aligned Movement (statement of 13 June 2025), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (statement of 17 June 2025), BRICS (statement of 25 June 2025), the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter (statements of 14 and 24 June 2025), the Arab League (statement of 21 June 2025), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (statement of 17 June 2025). Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the aggression in a resolution dated 22 June 2025.

While such condemnations are the bare minimum required by the rule of law at the international level — particularly in light of states’ erga omnes obligations not to recognize serious violations of jus cogens — the Security Council must fulfill its core duty under Article 24(1) of the UN Charter to preserve international peace and security.

Therefore, in accordance with the present circumstances and to uphold the purposes of the UN Charter — particularly the obligation of the Security Council under Article 39 to determine the existence of an act of aggression — we hereby formally request that the Security Council:

1. Recognize the Israeli regime and the United States as aggressors responsible for acts of aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran;

2. Acknowledge their subsequent responsibilities, including reparations and compensation for the damages caused.

Moreover, the Security Council must hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent the recurrence of such heinous and dangerous crimes to fulfill its mission of preserving peace and security.

It must also be noted that political and military leaders who issue orders to commit acts of aggression bear individual criminal responsibility under customary international law for the crime of aggression.

It is emphasized that the aforementioned act of aggression constitutes a brazen attack on the foundational pillars of international law. Ignoring this aggression and its legal consequences would seriously undermine the credibility of the United Nations system, pose a genuine threat to the rule of law at the global level, and promote lawlessness in future international relations both in our region and worldwide.

It would be appreciated if you would instruct that this correspondence be distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.