Iran Complains to UN Over Trump’s New Threat
UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has complained to the world body over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to use force against the country, warning that the Islamic Republic will not hesitate to exercise its right to self-defense in the event of any American military adventurism.
In letters addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the Security Council Abdou Abarry, Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Trump had threatened Iran with an attack and made "a baseless allegation” against the country over an alleged assassination plot.
"Such a provocative statement constitutes a gross violation of the very fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly its Article 2(4) that clearly prohibits the threat or use of force,” he wrote.
Takht-Ravanchi was reacting to Trump’s Monday tweet, in which he referred to "press reports” that Iran "may be planning an assassination, or other attack, against the United States” to avenge Washington’s assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq early this year.
The flimsy U.S. media report, quoting unnamed officials, claimed that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the U.S. ambassador to South Africa was planned before the U.S. presidential election in November.
"Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!”, Trump tweeted.
Iran’s Government spokesman Ali Rabiei on Tuesday expressed regret that "the president of a country who has claims to global management and order would make hasty, agenda-fueled and dubious remarks on such a weak basis.”
On Monday, the foreign ministry denied the report of an assassination plot as "baseless” and part of "repetitive and rotten methods to create an anti-Iranian atmosphere.”
The outright rebuttal by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeid Khatibzadeh came after Politico news website claimed that Iran had sought to assassinate U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks.
The spokesman later posted a tweet in which he advised American journalists to beware of falling into the trap of U.S. politicians’ efforts "to peddle lies.”
"U.S. warmongers have always used gullible ‘journalists’ to sell their folly. Under Bush they used them to sell the $7 trillion Iraq War. Now they are at it again, using Politico to peddle lies,” he wrote.
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad
Javad Zarif blasted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a "habitual liar”, saying he was seeking to deceive the U.S. president and "sucker him into mother of all quagmires by leaking a new false alarm.”
"The habitual liar bamboozled Donald Trump into assassinating ISIS’ enemy #1 by raising a false alarm. Now he’s trying to sucker him into mother of all quagmires by leaking a new false alarm,” he tweeted.
"This is not the first time that the President of the United States has threatened to use force against Iran. Following the horrific assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on 3 January 2020 (S/2020/13), and in the course of 3 to 5 January 2020, he threatened on five different occasions to use force against Iran (S/2020/16),” Takht-Ravanchi said in his letter.
On January 4, Trump threatened to target 52 sites, some "at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture” if Tehran took revenge for the terrorist U.S. assassination.
"We seriously warn about any further military adventurism against Iran by the United States that must bear the full responsibility for all consequences,” Takht-Ravanchi wrote.
"The irresponsible policies and unlawful practices of the United States pose a serious threat to international peace and security. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to demand that the United States put an end to its threats and unfettered policies and hold that country accountable for its wrongful acts,” the diplomat added.
He also stressed that Iran reserves the right to defend itself against any US act of aggression.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right to self-defense to protect its people, defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and secure its national interests against any aggression,” he wrote.
In letters addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the Security Council Abdou Abarry, Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Trump had threatened Iran with an attack and made "a baseless allegation” against the country over an alleged assassination plot.
"Such a provocative statement constitutes a gross violation of the very fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly its Article 2(4) that clearly prohibits the threat or use of force,” he wrote.
Takht-Ravanchi was reacting to Trump’s Monday tweet, in which he referred to "press reports” that Iran "may be planning an assassination, or other attack, against the United States” to avenge Washington’s assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq early this year.
The flimsy U.S. media report, quoting unnamed officials, claimed that an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the U.S. ambassador to South Africa was planned before the U.S. presidential election in November.
"Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!”, Trump tweeted.
Iran’s Government spokesman Ali Rabiei on Tuesday expressed regret that "the president of a country who has claims to global management and order would make hasty, agenda-fueled and dubious remarks on such a weak basis.”
On Monday, the foreign ministry denied the report of an assassination plot as "baseless” and part of "repetitive and rotten methods to create an anti-Iranian atmosphere.”
The outright rebuttal by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeid Khatibzadeh came after Politico news website claimed that Iran had sought to assassinate U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks.
The spokesman later posted a tweet in which he advised American journalists to beware of falling into the trap of U.S. politicians’ efforts "to peddle lies.”
"U.S. warmongers have always used gullible ‘journalists’ to sell their folly. Under Bush they used them to sell the $7 trillion Iraq War. Now they are at it again, using Politico to peddle lies,” he wrote.
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad
Javad Zarif blasted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a "habitual liar”, saying he was seeking to deceive the U.S. president and "sucker him into mother of all quagmires by leaking a new false alarm.”
"The habitual liar bamboozled Donald Trump into assassinating ISIS’ enemy #1 by raising a false alarm. Now he’s trying to sucker him into mother of all quagmires by leaking a new false alarm,” he tweeted.
"This is not the first time that the President of the United States has threatened to use force against Iran. Following the horrific assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on 3 January 2020 (S/2020/13), and in the course of 3 to 5 January 2020, he threatened on five different occasions to use force against Iran (S/2020/16),” Takht-Ravanchi said in his letter.
On January 4, Trump threatened to target 52 sites, some "at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture” if Tehran took revenge for the terrorist U.S. assassination.
"We seriously warn about any further military adventurism against Iran by the United States that must bear the full responsibility for all consequences,” Takht-Ravanchi wrote.
"The irresponsible policies and unlawful practices of the United States pose a serious threat to international peace and security. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the United Nations Security Council to demand that the United States put an end to its threats and unfettered policies and hold that country accountable for its wrongful acts,” the diplomat added.
He also stressed that Iran reserves the right to defend itself against any US act of aggression.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right to self-defense to protect its people, defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and secure its national interests against any aggression,” he wrote.