Seyed Abbas Araghchi Minister of Foreign Affairs: Iran shall respond decisively to any threat or unlawful act committed by the Zionist regime

In a letter to H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations Seyed Abbas Araghchi Minister of Foreign Affairs : As in the past the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly warns against any adventurism on the part of the Zionist regime of Israel and shall respond decisively to any threat or unlawful act committed by this regime.

:In a letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Excellency,

I wish to draw your attention to the repeated threats made by the Zionist regime of Israel to launch an attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities. In the most recent report, published on 20 May 2025 by CNN and quoting official U.S. sources, it has been claimed that—based on newly obtained intelligence—the Zionist regime is preparing to carry out an attack on the nuclear facilities, infrastructure and sites of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has been, and continues to be, subject to extensive and sustained monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency; and, none of the IAEA’s reports has reflected any indication of deviation therein. Its peaceful nature has been, in fact, conclusively and verifiably substantiated.
2. Pursuant to the resolutions and decisions of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, any threat of attack against nuclear facilities constitutes a violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In this regard, Resolution GC(XXIX)/RES/444 adopted at the nineteenth session of the IAEA’s General Conference affirms that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.” Furthermore, Resolution GC(XXXI)/RES/475 of the thirty-first session of the General Conference stipulates that “an armed attack on a nuclear installation could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.” Likewise, Resolution GC(XXXIV)/RES/533 adopted at the thirty-fourth session of the General Conference affirms that “an armed attack or a threat of armed attack on a safeguarded nuclear facility, in operation or under construction, would create a situation in which the United Nations Security Council would have to act immediately in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter.”
3. The Final Document adopted by the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the 2000 Review Conference likewise affirms that “attacks or threats of attack on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes jeopardize nuclear safety, have dangerous political, economic and environmental implications and raise serious concerns regarding the application of international law on the use of force in such cases, which could warrant appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.”
4. The attack on nuclear installations has also been strongly condemned by the Security Council. In its resolution 487 of 19 June 1981, when examining the Israeli attack on the Iraqi nuclear research center, the Council strongly condemned the attack, calling it a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international law and called upon the regime to refrain in the future from any such acts or threats thereof. The Council also stated that the attack constitutes a serious threat to the entire safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency and called on the Israeli regime, a non-party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to urgently place all of its nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA.
5. I must underscore that the Zionist regime of Israel, through its non-peaceful nuclear program, constitutes the sole principal threat to regional and international peace and security. In this connection, broad-based international pressure must be exerted upon this regime and its nuclear threat. The regime in question is not a party to any of the treaties pertaining to the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction; and, the international community must compel it to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon party.
6. The threats and acts of aggression perpetrated by the Zionist regime of Israel over the last decades against certain States in the region have deliberately and repeatedly violated both the letter and the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations—particularly Article 2, Paragraph 4 thereof, which unequivocally prohibits resort to the threat or use of force. In this context, the threats issued by this regime to attack Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, infrastructure, and sites constitute a grave threat to regional and international peace and security. It is therefore imperative that the Security Council, which bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, take immediate and effective action in response to these threats. It is likewise a matter of absolute necessity that the International Atomic Energy Agency address this matter without delay, and that its Director General unequivocally condemn such threats, so that the IAEA’s credibility and impartiality may thereby, perhaps, be preserved.
7. On the strength of international law, the Islamic Republic of Iran shall take all necessary measures to protect and defend its citizens, interests, and installations against any terrorist or subversive act. As in the past, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly warns against any adventurism on the part of the Zionist regime of Israel and shall respond decisively to any threat or unlawful act committed by this regime. We are likewise of the firm conviction that—in the event of any attack against the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime—the Government of the United States shall bear legal responsibility, having been complicit therein. In this regard, under conditions wherein such threats persist, the Islamic Republic of Iran shall be left with no recourse but to implement special measures for the protection of its nuclear facilities and materials, the relevant particulars of which shall thereafter be communicated to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi

Minister of Foreign Affairs

of the Islamic Republic of Iran

 

 

  

H.E. Mr. António Guterres

Secretary-General of the United Nations

 

H.E. Mr. Evangelos C. Sekeris

President of the Security Council

 

H.E. Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi

Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency