UPDATE - Iran warns UN it will respond 'decisively' if US launches military aggression

ADDS MORE REMARKS FROM IRANIAN MISSION, DETAILS

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Iran's permanent mission to the UN warned that Iran will respond "decisively and proportionately" to any military aggression, stressing that the United States would bear "full and direct responsibility" for the consequences, according to a letter obtained Thursday by Anadolu.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly stated at the highest level that it neither seeks tension nor war and will not initiate any war," it said in the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidency of the UN Security Council.

"However, in the event that it is subjected to military aggression, Iran will respond decisively and proportionately in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations," it added.

The mission warned that "all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response," stressing that "the United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences."

The letter cited a Feb. 18 social media post by US President Donald Trump that was described as "an explicit public threat of the use of force" against Iran, referencing the potential use of military facilities in Diego Garcia and the RAF Fairford base in England.

"Should Iran decide not to make a deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago and has been used as a joint UK-US military base since the 1970s. A treaty signed in May transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago from the UK to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease for the UK to continue operating the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.

The warning comes amid escalating US-Iran tensions and a significantly increased American presence in the Middle East as negotiations continue.

Trump nearly authorized another strike in January because of Tehran's crackdown on protesters but backed down after Iran stopped executions of demonstrators.

"Given the volatile situation in the region and the persistent movement and build-up of military equipment and assets by the United States, such a belligerent statement by the President of the United States must not be treated as mere rhetoric," the letter said.

Iran described the US threats as signaling "a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would constitute a grave threat to international peace and security."

Iran's UN mission expressed its full commitment "to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to diplomatic solutions" and has engaged "constructively, with seriousness and in good faith, in nuclear talks with the Government of the United States."

The mission further called for the lifting of "the unlawful and inhumane unilateral coercive measures (UCMs) imposed against the Iranian nation" and a "results-oriented solution fully consistent with the recognized inalienable rights of all States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran remains of the view that, should the United States likewise approach these talks with seriousness and sincerity and demonstrate genuine respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the peremptory norms of international law, the achievement of a durable and balanced solution would be entirely possible," it added.

Urging immediate action by the UN, the letter said: "The Security Council and the Secretary-General must act without delay, before it is too late."

The Iranian mission called on the Security Council to "fully utilize" its authority and good offices "to ensure that the United States immediately ceases its unlawful threats of the use of force" and that it "refrains from any action that could further escalate tensions or lead to a military confrontation, the consequences of which would be severe and far-reaching for regional and international peace and security."