Iran reserves legitimate right to respond to Israeli threats: UN ambassador

Iran’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations has warned against Israel’s “military adventurism” in the region, noting that Tehran reserves the “inherent” right to respond to threats and attacks originating from the regime.

In a letter to the United Nations Antonio Guterres and the rotating president of the UN Security Council (UNSC) Yamazaki Kazuyuki on Thursday, Iran’s UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani rejected the Israeli allegations and threats. 

“While strongly warning about any military adventurism or malicious activities by the Israeli regime in the region, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its legitimate and inherent right, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter, to take all necessary measures to respond to any threat or attack originating from the Israeli regime against its national security and interest and its people,” he wrote. 

His letter came in response to an earlier letter by Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz to the world body, claiming that Iran has escalated weapons deliveries to the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement. 

“The accusations in the letter are entirely baseless and are categorically rejected. This letter represents yet another cynical attempt by the Israeli regime to deflect the attention of the international community from the ongoing egregious atrocities and acts of genocide committed by this apartheid regime against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.  

“It is also a misleading effort aimed at covering up and legitimizing Israel’s aggression against Lebanon and its continual breaches of international law, the United Nations Charter, and UNSC Resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1701 (2006) by leveling unfounded allegations against Iran,” the Iranian ambassador said.