Iranian lawmaker says US naval blockade violates international law and UN Charter

Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, said in an interview with Mehr News Agency on Tuesday that a naval blockade of Iran would amount to a declaration of war under international law and the United Nations Charter. He called for legal action to be pursued against the United Nations over measures taken by the United States and its allies.

Ghashghavi said international institutions must intervene to prevent such actions and take steps to condemn them. He argued that organizations such as the United Nations were established to prevent the outbreak of war and to resolve disputes between countries through peaceful means, and that they should act accordingly in this case.

Referring to the principles set out in the UN Charter, Ghashghavi said Article 2 emphasizes two fundamental principles: the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflicts, and the prohibition of the threat or use of force against states and their sovereignty. He presented these provisions as the legal basis for his position that the blockade runs contrary to international law.

The lawmaker's remarks were made in an interview with Mehr News Agency and were carried by the agency under the headline that the naval blockade runs contrary to international law and the UN Charter. According to Mehr News, Ghashghavi spoke on Tuesday and framed his comments around the need for international institutions to intervene and condemn the measures attributed to the United States and its allies.