Iran says committed to UN Charter, seeks no escalation in region

Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations office in Geneva has underscored Iran’s commitment to international law and the UN Charter, saying the Islamic Republic seeks no escalation in the region.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the Israeli-occupied territories late on Saturday with a barrage of drones and missiles in response to the regime’s deadly assault on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus on April 1.

The retaliatory strikes have inflicted a yet-to-be-specified extent of damage on Israeli military bases across the occupied territories.

In a post on its X social media account on Sunday, Iran's permanent mission to the UN office in Geneva said the reprisal came after Israel’s “recurring” anti-Iran acts of aggression and the UN Security Council’s failure to hold the regime to account for its crimes.

“In exercising its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and in response to the Israeli regime recurring military aggressions, particularly its armed attack on 1st April 2024 against Iranian diplomatic premises, in defiance of Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter and in flagrant violation of Int'l Law, and subsequent to the failure of the UNSC in taking measures necessary to condemn and hold the aggressor accountable, Iran carried out a series of military strikes on Israeli military objectives,” the mission said.

“As a responsible Member of the UN, Iran is committed to the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter and Int'l law, and reiterates its consistent position that it does not seek escalation or conflict in the region,” it added.

Iran's permanent mission in Geneva also warned against any provocations by the Israeli regime as it placed a premium on the Islamic Republic’s resolve to defend itself against any attack.  

“While warning against any further military provocations, Iran reaffirms its unwavering determination to defend its people, national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity against any threat or act of aggression,” the mission underlined.

“Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required under Int'l Law.”

The Israeli attack on Iran's diplomatic facilities in Syria resulted in the martyrdom of Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying officers.

The terrorist attack drew categorical condemnation from senior Iranian political and military leaders, who vowed "definitive revenge."

During a speech in Tehran on Wednesday after leading the Eid al-Fitr prayers, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Israeli regime “must be punished and will be punished” for the deadly strike on the Iranian diplomatic premises.

The international community also condemned the Israeli aggression on the Iranian consulate in Damascus’s Mezzeh district.

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