In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Michael G. Waltz on March 31, Saeed Iravani highlighted the escalating threats by the US president, emphasizing that these statements are not rhetorical but constitute immediate and deliberate risks to millions of civilians.

The Iranian envoy called on the Security Council to take urgent measures to prevent any such unlawful actions and ensure accountability under international law.

What follows is the text of the letters:

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

Excellency,

Upon instructions from my Government, and with reference to our previous communications, including the letter dated 22 March 2026 (S/2026/215), I write to draw the urgent attention of Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council to yet another explicit and escalating threat issued by the President of the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a public social media post dated 30 March 2026, the President of the United States openly threatened that, should a deal with Iran not be reached "shortly", the United States would "blow up and completely obliterate" Iran's critical civilian infrastructure, including its electric generating plants, oil facilities, Kharg Island and all desalination facilities. This follows his earlier statement of 21 March 2026, in which he threatened to "hit and obliterate" Iran's power plants, "starting with the biggest one first" (S/2026/215).

These shameless and abhorrent statements are grave, deliberate and unequivocal, and constitute a direct threat to attack and destroy civilian infrastructure indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Any such actions, if carried out, would inevitably cause widespread destruction, severe environmental harm and catastrophic humanitarian consequences.

The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, including water and energy systems and facilities, particularly for the purposes of economic coercion, collective punishment, or with the intent to terrorise the civilian population, constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to war crimes.

These threats cannot be dismissed as mere rhetoric. They are credible and immediate, particularly in light of the ongoing military aggression by the United States, acting alone and in concert with the Israeli regime, which has already resulted in attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Iran. They represent a direct threat to millions of civilians, as well as to regional and international peace and security.

The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasises that the United States shall bear full international responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats or from any actions undertaken pursuant thereto, including individual criminal responsibility for those involved in their planning or execution.

In light of the foregoing, and bearing in mind the severe environmental damage and catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would inevitably result from the commission of such unlawful acts, should they be carried out, the Islamic Republic of Iran once again calls upon the Security Council to:

• Unequivocally condemn these explicit threats targeting civilian infrastructure and objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, in clear violation of international law and relevant Security Council resolutions;
• Take all necessary measures to prevent the realisation of such unlawful threats and to ensure full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians; and
• Hold the United States accountable for any consequences arising from such threats, which, under international law, are as unlawful as the use of force itself when directed against prohibited targets.

In response to these deliberate and unlawful threats and attacks, and in the continued absence of effective action by the Security Council in discharging its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no alternative but to exercise its inherent right of self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will take all necessary and proportionate measures to safeguard and defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensure the security of its people, and protect its 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.