بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم Mr. President,  At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on your deserved election and to express our appreciation to the Secretariat for the preparations for this session of the Conference. Mr. President, As a State Party, Iran approaches the work of this Conference constructively and with a practical objective including to strengthen effective implementation of the Convention, improve international cooperation, respond to emerging forms of organized crime and ensure that the needs and legitimate priorities of all States are properly reflected. As organized criminal groups keep adapting rapidly, Iran has continued to strengthen its legislative, judicial and law-enforcement capacities in response to these developments. Iran possesses the requisite legal foundations for implementing this Convention. Under the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, membership in organized criminal groups is criminalized, and more stringent provisions are in place for ancillary offences, legal person liability, and a comprehensive confiscation regime. For serious crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing, legal frameworks have been substantially reinforced by dedicated legislation. Furthermore, Iran has the required legal basis for providing a wide range of mutual legal assistance (MLA), including on asset recovery, and the Ministry of Justice has been designated, in accordance with Article 18 of the Convention, as the Central Authority, entrusted with receiving requests for MLA. Additionally, Iran's Crime Prevention Act of 2011 establishes a framework for national crime prevention, overseen by Iran’s Supreme Council for Crime Prevention, encompassing research and analysis, public engagement, and policy development. In parallel, we have developed diverse and up-to-date technological tools for prevention and detection, alongside a range of programmes designed to ensure timely intervention and the deterrent effect of penalties. Accordingly, Iran has not merely adopted laws on paper: we have translated commitments into action, strengthened institutions under sustained external pressure, and delivered concrete, verifiable results despite the unlawful measures imposed upon us. Mr. President, No State can effectively combat transnational organized crime in isolation. International cooperation is therefore indispensable. It must, however, be genuine, non-discriminatory and conducted in good faith, with full respect for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Effective implementation also requires serious attention to the capacities and priorities of developing countries. Technical assistance should be needs-based and demand-driven, free from discrimination and political conditionality, and should include meaningful access to relevant technology, equipment, training and specialized expertise. Mr. President, Since this Conference was last convened, Iran has been facing new pattern of grave breaches of international law in 2025 and 2026 that has inflicted profound damage on our nation's capacities. It began with deliberate acts of aggression, in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and jus cogens on prohibition of aggression. When it failed to achieve its objective, it then took the form of a naval and aerial blockade, also defined in UNGA Resolution 3314 as aggression, and now it has transformed into an economic terrorism operation against Iranian citizens around the globe, a crime of collective punishment. Alongside the devastating human loss and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, these unlawful measures have inflicted severe damage on Iran's institutions for effectively combating crime and obstructing engaging in meaningful international cooperation. Mr. President,     In conclusion, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to work constructively with other States Parties and with UNODC toward a more effective, inclusive and genuinely collaborative implementation of the Convention. To that end, we support a balanced and consensus-driven approach. Where necessary, existing mechanisms should be made more effective, while unnecessary duplication, institutional fragmentation, politicization and the creation of obligations beyond the agreed treaty framework should be avoided.  I thank you.