Speaking to reporters at a stakeout outside the United Nations Security Council, Araqchi said Iran remains firmly committed to international law, the UN Charter and diplomacy, pointing to the negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal, its implementation and Iran’s continued diplomatic efforts over the past two years.

He said that even as Iran faced aggressive actions by the US and the Israeli regime, Washington chose “aggression, threats, assassination, economic warfare and blatant disregard for international law and the UN Charter.”

Araqchi said more than 5,000 people had been martyred during the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, including hundreds of women and children. He described the assassination of Iran’s Leader and a number of senior political and military officials as “a flagrant crime and an obvious violation of international law.”

He said residential areas, schools, hospitals, energy facilities, sports and cultural venues, transportation infrastructure and other civilian targets had been attacked. Araqchi cited the documented killing of more than 168 students and teachers in Minab, a cluster-bomb attack on a stadium in Lamerd, the bombing of residential homes on Qeshm with 2,000-pound bombs and a missile attack on a wedding ceremony in Sirik as examples.

The Iranian foreign minister said that despite these developments, the US president, together with the Israeli regime’s prime minister, had attempted from the UN General Assembly podium to distort the facts and reverse the positions of victim and aggressor. “The United States and the Israeli regime cannot whitewash their actions against the Iranian people,” he said.

Araqchi further lashed out at Washington for turning economic deprivation into a tool of collective punishment and political pressure, saying the US is deliberately inflicting severe and foreseeable harm on the Iranian people and directly violating their fundamental rights, including the rights to life, health, and access to medicine and food.

“This is not diplomacy; it is coercion and economic terrorism,” he said, adding that such measures constitute a “clear and direct violation” of the binding provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice on October 3, 2018.

Iran’s Peaceful Nuclear Program

Turning to Iran’s nuclear program, Araqchi said new allegations concerning the peaceful program were political in nature and could not replace technical and legal assessments.

He rejected claims that Iran is on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons as “a big lie,” saying the allegation was first raised by the Israeli regime in 2003 and had since been repeated by the US and European countries.

Araqchi stressed that Iran has acted as a committed party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970 and has been under extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for decades.

He said the US cannot simultaneously claim to defend the nonproliferation regime and target peaceful nuclear facilities operating under IAEA safeguards, calling such action a clear violation of Washington’s international obligations.

Hormuz Security

On the Strait of Hormuz, Araqchi reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to safe and secure shipping, but said maritime security cannot be restored through additional military action, threats, blockades or economic pressure.

He said the Strait of Hormuz had remained open until February 28, 2026, and argued that the insecurity and disruption of maritime traffic in the waterway were a direct result of US and Israeli aggression.

“A country cannot be bombed, threatened with destruction, subjected to a naval blockade and coercive measures, and at the same time be expected to automatically restore security and shipping to normal,” Araqchi said.

He also said responsibility extends to regional countries that, in his words, facilitated and enabled the aggression by providing their territory, military bases, airspace, logistical infrastructure and intelligence facilities, despite their obligations under the UN Charter and the principles of good neighborliness.

Islamabad Memorandum and Way Forward

Araqchi said that following the efforts of Pakistan and Qatar, Iran and the United States signed the Islamabad memorandum of understanding on June 17. Under Article 5 of the memorandum, Iran committed to making the necessary arrangements to facilitate safe passage for ships.

He said Iran immediately began technical negotiations with the Sultanate of Oman to implement that commitment and restore maritime traffic to pre-war levels. Within two weeks of the memorandum’s implementation, maritime traffic had returned to around 60% of its pre-war level, he said.

However, Araqchi said subsequent unilateral US measures and military action violated and halted implementation of the memorandum. He said Washington resorted to military aggression instead of using the dispute-resolution mechanism provided for in the memorandum.

“Iran has kept the door of diplomacy open,” Araqchi said, stressing that Tehran had continuously and in good faith participated in negotiations over the past two years.

He said the US had responded in bad faith on each occasion and resorted to military aggression instead of diplomacy, creating deep distrust regarding any resumption of negotiations without credible guarantees against a repetition of such actions.

Araqchi said Iran had therefore clearly stated its position and, through Qatar, conveyed to the US a specific seven-day plan.

“If the necessary conditions are provided, the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened and normal maritime traffic can resume within seven days,” he said.

“The choice is now with the United States,” Araqchi said, stressing that Iran would not accept coercion, threats or intimidation and would not relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure.

He concluded by stressing that the United Nations was established to prevent the “law of the jungle” from replacing the rule of international law, adding, “The UN Charter is not optional. Sovereignty is not conditional. Diplomacy does not mean surrender. And peace cannot be built through threats of destruction.”