Iran strongly alarms UN about dire consequences for perpetrators following Leader's martyrdom

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has formally addressed the United Nations following the martyrdom of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, warning of “deep and far-reaching consequences” for those responsible.

In a letter sent to the UN secretary-general and members of the world body's Security Council on Monday, the top diplomat stressed the stature of the Leader and the gravity of the attack that targeted Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday as part of the latest bout of fresh unprovoked Israeli-American aggression against the Iranian soil.

"Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is not only the highest official authority of the country, but also a religious figure respected by tens of millions of Muslims across the region and the world," Araghchi wrote.

"Such an attack will have deep and far-reaching consequences, for which full responsibility rests exclusively with the perpetrators," he added.

'Horrific and criminal act'

The foreign minister underlined the "horrific and criminal" nature of the atrocity "committed against the great nation of Iran."

He noted that the regime and the US had targeted the Islamic Republic in “a new series of aggressive, premeditated, and wholly unjustified acts against the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the nation.

According to the official, the aggression aimed against the Leader saw the allies “deliberately target the highest official authority of an independent Member State of the United Nations."

He warned that inaction would have lasting repercussions. “Failure to respond decisively to such conduct will not only embolden its perpetrators, but will also inflict lasting and irreparable damage for decades to come upon the foundations of the international legal order."

Calling the attack a “cowardly terrorist act,” Araghchi said it was carried out “in flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations” and “constitutes a direct assault on the most fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition of the use of force, the principle of the sovereign equality of states, and the inviolability and immunity of heads of state.”

He argued that such an act “establishes a dangerous precedent that strikes at the core norms governing state sovereignty and civilized conduct among nations.”

Heads of state, Araghchi stressed, “are inviolable, respected, and immune, a principle essential for the independent discharge of their official duties."

Therefore, intentional targeting of Iran's highest official authority constitutes a grave and unprecedented violation of the most fundamental norms governing relations among states," the official underscored.

Right to self-defense and call for accountability

Araghchi emphasized that the attack “in no way negates the inherent and legitimate right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people in full conformity with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.”

The foreign minister said the act had been committed “in blatant disregard of binding principles of international law and customary international law, including those enshrined in the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons."

He stated that the incident “engages the international responsibility of the relevant offending states and also entails the individual criminal responsibility of the President of the United States, the so-called prime minister of the Israeli regime, and all persons involved in the planning, ordering, authorizing, perpetrating, or otherwise aiding and abetting this criminal act."

Shortly after the launch of the fresh Israeli-American aggression, which has followed the allies' imposed war on Iran last June, the Islamic Republic began to retaliate by launching at least eight waves of decisive missile and drone counterattacks against numerous American and Israeli targets throughout the West Asia region.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has vowed to sustain the reprisal until the enemies' "complete defeat."

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