Iran General Statement at the 35th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Statement by

H.E. Dr. Abbas BAGHERPOUR ARDEKANI

Director-General for International Legal Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Before

The Thirty-Fifth Session of

the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Agenda Item 3: General Debate

(2 June 2026, Vienna)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Mr. Chair,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Allow me to begin by warmly congratulating Her Excellency Ms. Monica Juma, for her appointment as the Executive Director of UNODC, and wish her every success. We also congratulate you, Mr. Chair, on your election and express our appreciation to the Secretariat for the preparation of this Session of the CCPCJ.

To improve its crime prevention and criminal justice response, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken concrete steps. Among our most recent milestones is the accession to the UNTOC. After years of thorough deliberation, this decision reflects our strategic commitment, even in the face of an unfavorable political environment.

Among the crimes, “fraud” has rightly received the focus of this session. Domestically, our legal framework has been systematically reinforced. Beside our amended criminal code, we have specialized Acts prohibiting fraudulent practices, and envisaging a clear duty on all officials to report any instance of this crime. To reinforce deterrence, the “Act on Aggravating the Punishment for Perpetrators of Bribery, Embezzlement and Fraud” remains in full force, ensuring that such crimes face severe consequences. Furthermore, the Prosecutor General's Office of Iran has implemented a set of new and technology-aligned preventive measures in cyber space, including a multi-level authentication system to reduce identity fraud, and an AI-powered anti-phishing system that has already blocked millions of harmful messages. All of these initiatives are continuously updated in

step with the rapid evolution of digital technologies.

Distinguished Colleagues,

In fighting terrorism, the resolve of the international community remains vital for eliminating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations; especially as we witness heinous attacks against innocent people of Palestine and Lebanon by the Israeli regime. Silence over such atrocities is tantamount to encouraging terrorism.

Mr. Chair,

Turning to a rapidly growing threat- cybercrime- we have been among the delegations actively participating in its negotiations and now, one of its signatories. We underscore the importance of ensuring that all subsequent steps – including the development of the rules of procedure, organizational arrangements, and other related instruments– are undertaken in a professional, inclusive, and transparent manner that fully safeguards the legitimate interests and priorities of developing countries. Before concluding this statement, it is imperative to reiterate that strengthening criminal justice responses and promoting effective international cooperation could only be realized if the fundamental principles of international law, in particular territorial integrity and non-intervention, are fully respected. While the acts of aggression against Iran, Iranian people and civilization were committed in clear violation of the UN Charter and the peremptory norm of prohibition of aggression. They have gone even further, committing acts so unimaginable that humanity had not even conceived of them as a category. The deliberate double-tap attack on an elementary school in Minab, which resulted in the killing of 168 schoolchildren, constitutes a war crime. In this aggression, Iranian senior officials, in particular our Supreme Leader, were assassinated. Among the civilian targets are courts and judicial institutions, police facilities and law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Chair,

The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its readiness to work constructively to strengthen international cooperation in preventing and combating crime, and promote a world that upholds every member to the same kind of standards. We look forward to productive deliberations during this session.

Thank you.