Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has expressed concerns over the interpretation of the United Nations' primary purpose as merely preventing war between superpowers. He warned that this perspective misrepresents the spirit of the UN Charter and undermines the foundational principle prohibiting the use of force in international relations.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqaei emphasized in a post on his X account that Dag Hammarskj¶ld cautioned against limiting the UN to a static role serving great-power diplomacy. Instead, Hammarskj¶ld envisioned the organization as a dynamic tool for protecting the security of smaller states. Baqaei noted that his entire tenure was dedicated to this belief.

Baqaei criticized the current Secretary-General for seemingly reducing the UN's purpose to merely avoiding superpower conflicts. He argued that this narrow interpretation renders the majority of the UN's membership irrelevant, excuses wars, undermines the Charter's founding principles, and ignores the atrocities committed by superpowers against other nations.

He cited historical conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, the Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, and Gaza as examples that, under this interpretation, could be mistakenly viewed as successes. Baqaei questioned whether this is the appropriate message for a Secretary-General nearing the end of his tenure.