In a letter for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the UN Security Council Michael G. Waltz, and President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock on March 22, Saeed Iravani expressed grave concerns over a recent statement by US President Donald Trump, who threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants unless the country reopened the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
The Iranian envoy emphasized that such a threat, targeting civilian infrastructure essential for the well-being of the population, would violate international humanitarian law and could qualify as war crimes under the Rome Statute.
What follows is the text of his letter:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellency,
Upon instructions from my Government, and further to our previous letters regarding the ongoing acts of aggression and the unprovoked war carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I write to draw the urgent attention of Your Excellency and that of the members of the Security Council to the explicit and unlawful threat issued by the President of the United States to target civilian objects and vital infrastructure in Iran. In the later hours of Saturday, 21 March 2026, the President of the United States publicly declared, in a social media post, that unless the Islamic Republic of Iran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, the United States would, in his own words, "hit and obliterate" Iran's power plants, "starting with the biggest one first."
The deliberate targeting of electrical power plants-objects of a predominantly civilian character and indispensable to the survival of the civilian population would, if carried out, constitute a serious breach of international humanitarian law, including the fundamental principles codified in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Such attacks would be inherently indiscriminate and manifestly disproportionate, given the foreseeable, widespread and long-term harm inflicted upon civilians, including the disruption of essential services such as healthcare, water supply, sanitation and food security. Furthermore, any such attack would fall within the scope of war crimes as defined under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, including the intentional targeting of civilian objects and the launching of attacks in the knowledge that they would cause excessive civilian harm in relation to the anticipated military advantage.
Responsibility and the legal consequences for such grave crimes attach not only to those who perpetrate them, but equally to those who order, authorize, or incite their commission. In this context, the public, explicit and unambiguous threat issued by the President of the United States constitutes compelling evidence of intent and gives rise to serious concerns of premeditation, thereby aggravating the legal responsibility of the United States. Accordingly, the United States bears full international responsibility for any consequences arising from this unlawful threat, as well as for any acts carried out pursuant thereto.
I therefore urge Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council to discharge their responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations by clearly and unequivocally condemning this unlawful threat of force; warning the United States of the serious consequences of any such unlawful action, including the targeting of vital infrastructure; calling upon the United States to comply fully with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law; and taking all necessary measures within their mandate to prevent the realization of such unlawful acts.
While warning of the catastrophic consequences of any such unlawful actions, the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its inherent right of self-defense, as enshrined in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and reserves the right to take all necessary and proportionate measures to fully safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity and vital national interests.
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 my highest consideration.