Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, formally accused Israel and the United States of committing a “cowardly act of terror” against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, on Sunday.
Araghchi claimed in a letter to Security Council members and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the US and Israel had intentionally targeted Khamenei on February 28 in “unprovoked and unjustified acts of aggression” against Iran’s sovereignty.I’m writing to urgently draw your attention to the most recent heinous and illegal conduct committed by the Israeli government and the United States against the wonderful country of Iran.The foundations of the international legal order will suffer permanent and irreversible harm for decades to come if such behavior is not addressed forcefully, Araghchi wrote in the letter. It will also give its perpetrators more confidence.
Referencing 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 US have been attacking Iran since Saturday morning, killing the country’s supreme leader and numerous other high-ranking security personnel.
Many Gulf states closed their airspace as a result of Iran’s drone and missile attacks against US and Israeli targets in the area.
The letter affirmed Iran’s “inherent and unequivocal right” to self-defense by citing Article 51.With the aforementioned in mind, and at a time when the normalization of serious transgressions of international law unfortunately jeopardizes the integrity of the international system, the Islamic Republic of Iran humbly urges the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to fulfill their duties under the Charter to maintain international peace and security and to take prompt, decisive, and efficient action to ensure that the United States and the Israeli regime are held fully accountable for the aforementioned heinous terrorist act,” Araghchi stated.
As an official Security Council document, he asked that the letter be distributed. In AA