In a letter for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Michael G. Waltz on March 8, Saeed Iravani said the measures undertaken by the United Kingdom under the pretext of the so-called right of self-defense are unfounded and unjustifiable under international law and would amount to an act of aggression.
The full text of his letter is as follows:
Excellency,
Upon instructions from my Government, and in response to the letter dated 7 March 2026 from the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2026/140), I wish to draw the attention of Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council to the following:
- Pursuant to my letters of 3 and 7 March 2026 (S/2026/121-S/2026/139), it should be recalled that the United States and the Israeli regime attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran on 28 February 2026, in flagrant violation of the prohibition of the use of force enshrined in Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations and the peremptory norm (jus cogens) of the "prohibition of aggression". This act of aggression commenced with a cowardly act of terrorism and war crimes against the Supreme Leader of a sovereign Member State of the United Nations and several other State officials, as well as thousands of civilians. Following these unlawful acts, the Islamic Republic of Iran exercised its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations;
- The unprovoked and unjustified act of aggression against my country has been brazenly confirmed even by the highest officials of the aggressors. In the course of this aggression and the armed attacks against Iran, the aggressors have also used the territories and facilities of certain third States. It is recalled that the action of a State in allowing its territory, which it has placed at the disposal of another State, to be used by that other State for perpetrating an act of aggression against a third State qualifies as an act of aggression. This has been set forth in Article 3(f) of General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974. In light of the aforesaid provision, those States could not lawfully request the United Kingdom to exercise the right of collective self-defense; a fortiori, the United Kingdom would not be in a legal position to receive or act upon such a request; and
- In light of the foregoing, the measures undertaken by the United Kingdom under the pretext of the so-called right of self-defense are unfounded and unjustifiable under international law and would, in and of themselves, amount to an act of aggression. Furthermore, the United Kingdom has failed to acknowledge the initial aggressors namely the United States and the Israeli regime and has effectively reversed the roles and positions of the victim and the aggressor.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.