Iran tells UN Security Council it remains committed to maritime safety and security

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Gholamhossein Darzi, addressed a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East and Palestine, stating that Iran remains committed to upholding the safety and security of navigation and has merely exercised its inherent right to defend its vital interests in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Darzi said the Israeli regime has repeatedly demonstrated that it holds no respect for international law or the principles of the United Nations Charter. Turning to Palestine, he said the situation there remains dire. Despite the announced ceasefire, he said, the Israeli regime continues its aggression and human rights violations with impunity, Gaza remains devastated and subject to ongoing military attacks, and the Palestinian people endure immense suffering. He added that Israel continues to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, intensify violence and acts of terror by settlers, and implement unlawful measures aimed at annexing Palestinian territories and depriving Palestinians of their land.

The envoy stressed the necessity of a permanent end to the aggression, the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, the unconditional and complete withdrawal of Israeli occupying forces from Gaza, and the immediate and continuous delivery of humanitarian aid and the deployment of relief personnel. He said no arrangements regarding Gaza possess legitimacy if they subordinate the rights of Palestinians to externally imposed security considerations, adding that any framework concerning the future of Gaza must fully respect the inherent rights of the Palestinians, as well as their independence and right to self-determination.

Darzi emphasized that the Palestinian people must be able to exercise their legitimate right to self-determination and establish an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital, and secure full membership in the United Nations. He said the Israeli regime must end its aggression and violations throughout the region, cease its daily violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, withdraw completely from Lebanese territory and abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He added that Israel must also end its attacks and military aggression against Syrian territory, withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan and other occupied areas, and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

The Iranian diplomat said accountability for serious violations of international law, particularly international humanitarian law, is essential and a legal requirement. He stated that over the past three years the Israeli regime has committed major international crimes against the peoples of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, as well as against Iran, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. According to Mehr News, the remarks were delivered at the Security Council session on the Middle East and Palestine.