In a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Jamal Fares Alrowaiei on April 22, Saeed Iravani detailed a series of strikes on scientific and communication facilities, including space research centers, satellite institutes, ground control stations, and national broadcasting networks. He stressed that these facilities are dedicated exclusively to peaceful scientific and public service functions and warned that their targeting not only harms Iran’s civilian infrastructure but also disrupts internationally important services such as environmental monitoring, disaster response, and global communications.
What follows is the text of the letter:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellency,
Upon instructions from my Government, and further to Iran's previous letters concerning
the United States and the Israeli regime's war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly their deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, I wish to bring to your attention, and that of the members of the Security Council, yet another grave dimension of the aggression. Specifically, I would like to highlight the United States and the Israeli regime's attacks against the civilian space and communication infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the 40 days of this cruel and savage war, constituting further egregious violations and atrocities.
The aggressors have deliberately targeted the following civilian space facilities, which are exclusively dedicated to peaceful scientific advancement, technical capacity-building, and the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes to the benefit of humanity:
- Space academic centres, including the Space Research Centre of the University of Science and Technology and the Aerospace Research Institute;
- The Iran Space Research Institute;
- The Satellite Systems Research Institute;
- The Advanced Space Transportation Research Institute and the Space Propulsion Research Institute;
- The Mahdasht Space Centre, which oversees satellite communications and data processing;
- Satellite ground control stations and equipment at the Khayyam Observatory; and
- More than 30 ground-transmitting earth stations of national radio/TV broadcasting (IRIB), essential for disseminating public safety information, including evacuation orders, sheltering instructions, and security alerts, to coordinate civilian response during crises. The attacks clearly violate the fundamental human right of access to information and public safety.
The consequences of these assaults extend far beyond Iran's borders. The targeting of ground stations and observatories disrupts internationally beneficial space-based services, including environmental monitoring, disaster management, and global telecommunications. In an interconnected world, these actions undermine the collective interest in the peaceful use of outer space.
These deliberate attacks against exclusively civilian scientific and communication infrastructure amount to acts of state terrorism and constitute war crimes. They represent a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations and a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The targeting of facilities indispensable to scientific progress and public safety shows the aggressors' real criminal intent.
Furthermore, such barbaric acts fundamentally contradict the object and purpose of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, particularly its Article I, which affirms the freedom of exploration and use of outer space for the benefit of all countries, and its Article III, which requires that activities be conducted in accordance with international law. The attack on the IRIB's satellite- linked infrastructure violates the International Human Rights Covenants, which guarantee, among others, the right to seek, receive, and impart information.
The United States and the Israeli regime bear full international responsibility for all damage and consequences arising from their unlawful actions and attacks against the civilian space and communications infrastructure of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In light of the foregoing, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities under the Charter and to address these unlawful acts with the seriousness they warrant.
The Security Council must condemn and reject such criminal acts unequivocally and take necessary measures to prevent recurrence of such grave violations, which constitute a flagrant breach of the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. The failure to respond adequately will not only undermine the credibility of the international legal order but also embolden the perpetrators to commit further violations with potentially catastrophic consequences for global scientific cooperation and public safety.
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.