Araghchi urges UN action against US aggression in meeting with Guterres

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on the final day of his trip for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, according to Mehr News Agency (MNA). During the meeting, Araghchi briefed Guterres on the latest developments in West Asia following what Iran describes as military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against the country.

Araghchi said that as a founding member of the United Nations, Iran expects the organization and its member states not to remain indifferent to what he called flagrant violations of the UN Charter by a permanent member of the Security Council, and to explicitly condemn continued US interference and illegal threats. He cited two rounds of US and Israeli attacks on Iran within less than a year, which he said occurred amid negotiations, along with an ongoing naval blockade and economic pressure. He stressed Iran's determination to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity with full capability, and said Iran would continue to pursue accountability and justice for those responsible for what he termed war crimes by the United States and the Zionist regime.

The Iranian foreign minister said Iran has consistently favored diplomacy to safeguard its national interests and regional peace, but added that the United States repeatedly abandoned diplomatic commitments over the past decade, contributing to regional instability. He also raised continued violence and mass killing by the Israeli regime in Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the region, urging the UN and the Security Council to act to end Israeli impunity and stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank.

Guterres, for his part, condemned violations of core principles of the UN Charter, particularly the use of force by major powers, and stressed the need for all countries to abide by international law and resolve disputes through diplomacy. The meeting also addressed continued US violations of the UN Headquarters Agreement and obstruction of the normal functioning of Iran's mission. Araghchi conveyed Iran's formal protest over the host government's conduct and asked Guterres to take necessary measures to ensure US compliance with its obligations, MNA reported.