TEHRAN – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has reaffirmed the country’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to Israel’s continued aggression, calling on the Security Council to urgently address attacks on civilian areas andpeaceful nuclear facilities.

 Amid ongoing Israeli military aggression against Iran, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to convey the Islamic Republic’s official position and to warn against the consequences of continued international inaction.

The meeting, held in New York, came as Israel escalates its attacks, including strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

During the talks, Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep concern over the intensifying hostilities and reiterated that attacks targeting civilians and nuclear facilities are unacceptable. He called for an immediate ceasefire and urged the swift resumption of nuclear negotiations. Guterres warned that if the current trajectory persists, the crisis could escalate further, potentially drawing in new military actors and turning the conflict into a broader international confrontation.

Iravani stressed that Iran was not the initiator of the conflict and identified the Israeli regime as the principal aggressor. “Iran is under open attack and considers itself entitled to exercise its inherent right of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter,” he stated. “Until the Security Council fulfills its responsibility to halt these acts of aggression, Iran will continue to respond within its legitimate rights.”

Highlighting Israel’s attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities—under the supervision of the IAEA—Iravani described them as clear violations of international law. He recalled that the Security Council had previously condemned similar acts in Resolution 487, which denounced Israel’s attack on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.

Drawing on that precedent, the Iranian envoy called on Secretary-General Guterres to take a similar and unbiased stance toward the latest Israeli aggressions. “Iran expects the United Nations not to abandon its legal and moral responsibilities,” Iravani said, stressing the need for international institutions to be held accountable in the face of unlawful military actions.