Iran taken lawful steps in self-defense against aggression

TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) – Iran’s UN ambassador dismissed the Israeli regime’s baseless accusations against Iran, arguing that Tehran’s recent military actions were lawful and proportionate measures taken in self-defense against US-Israeli aggression.
In a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Leonor Zalabata Torres on June 12, Saeed Iravani rejected claims made by the Zionist regime in a recent communication to the Council.
He hit back at the Israeli regime for attempting to distort facts to justify its unlawful actions against Iran and reaffirmed Tehran’s position that any response by the Islamic Republic has been conducted within the framework of its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
What follows is the text of the letter:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellency,
I am writing with reference to the letter dated 9 June 2026 from the representative of the Israeli regime addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2026/474), in which the regime once again resorts to falsehoods, distortions, and unfounded allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran in a futile attempt to justify its unlawful conduct and acts of aggression against Iran. In this regard, I wish to draw the attention of Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council to the following:
1. The regime in Tel Aviv is the core source of instability in the region and continues to threaten regional and international peace and security. It is too soon to forget the genocidal atrocities it committed in Gaza, resulting in the killing of more than 73.000 innocent people, in particular women and children, and wounding of over 170,000 civilians. A rogue regime recognized for committing all the major international crimes with absolute impunity now finds the audacity to invoke Article 51 of the same Charter it violated so frequently and ferociously, unlike anyone else during the last eight decades.
2. The claims made in the letter constitute a deliberate attempt to distort the facts and mislead the international community. The actions undertaken by Iran on 7 June 2026 were proportionate lawful acts of self-defense conducted in the context of the Israeli regime's repeated violations of the ceasefire of 8 April 2026 and its continuing wrongful acts against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including its direct complicity with the United States in attacks against Iranian vessels, civilian infrastructure, and targets in Iran, as well as acts of maritime piracy directed against the Iranian nation. In response to these continuing internationally wrongful acts, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran targeted a number of Israeli military objectives. These measures were undertaken in the exercise of Iran's inherent right of self-defense, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Iran's response was necessary, proportionate, and directed exclusively at military objectives. The Israeli regime's attempt to portray itself as a victim while concealing its own unlawful uses of force and repeated violations of international law is a transparent effort to reverse the factual and legal sequence of events, something that the regime does frequently and has a mastery in. The Israeli regime is not the victim of aggression; it is the perpetrator of aggression.
3. The Israeli regime, acting in concert with, and with the direct support and participation of, the United States, has launched two unprovoked, unlawful, and large-scale military attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2025 and February 2026, in flagrant violation of Article 2 (4) of the Charter of the United Nations and the most fundamental principles of international law. These attacks deliberately targeted civilian populations and civilian infrastructure in Iran, causing civilian casualties and extensive damage to civilian property. The Israeli regime has also assassinated six Iranian diplomats in Beirut, conducted attacks against Iranian interests in Lebanon, and, in recent months, continued to threaten Iranian nationals (S/2026/125-S/2026/153-S/2026/194). These violations were on top of other aggressive acts, such as the 1 April 2024, when this regime carried out an armed attack against the diplomatic premises of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, in flagrant violation of international law and the inviolability of diplomatic missions. All of these unlawful acts constitute serious violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, and entail the international responsibility of Israel.
4. Having initiated and perpetuated unlawful armed attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Israeli regime's claim that its ensuing attacks against targets within Iranian territory were lawful acts of self-defense is therefore manifestly ludicrous. The Israeli regime cannot rely on the right of self-defense to legitimize its wrongful acts. The right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter does not apply to Israel, which has itself initiated unlawful armed attacks and continues its acts of aggression and internationally wrongful acts against Iran.
5. The Israeli regime's invocation of respect for Lebanon's sovereignty and political independence lacks any credibility. Despite the November 2024 ceasefire arrangements, Israel has continued to violate the ceasefire. The Israeli regime persistently engages in actions that violate Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence, including repeated violations of Lebanese airspace, military strikes, and the occupation of parts of Lebanese territory. No single day has passed since the ceasefire that the regime has not violated its provisions. It is abundantly clear that Israel's expansionist agenda and occupation policies and practices in Lebanon, Syria, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly Gaza, are manifestations of the same systematic pattern of conduct.
6. The Islamic Republic of Iran warns that any further act of aggression, provocation, or
reckless adventurism by the Israeli regime against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests will be met with a firm, decisive response. Iran remains fully prepared to exercise its inherent right of self-defense against any armed attack, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of my highest consideration.