New York: Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the U.N., Amir Sa’eed Iravani, declared that Tehran is committed to defending its security and territorial integrity, attributing complicity to the United States in what he described as Israel’s aggressive actions. Speaking at the U.N. headquarters on Monday evening, Iravani highlighted the toll of the attacks, stating that 1,481 civilians have either been killed or injured since the onset of Israel’s unprovoked assaults on Iran.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Iravani characterized the ongoing attacks as criminal and a grave violation of the U.N. Charter and international law. He raised concerns about the deliberate targeting of a peaceful nuclear facility under full I.A.E.A. safeguards by Israel, emphasizing the risk of radioactive leakage. Iran’s swift response, he noted, prevented potentially catastrophic consequences.

Iravani refuted Israel’s claims of executing ‘precise and targeted’ strikes, labeling them as misleading. He accused Israel of targeting densely populated civilian areas in major Iranian cities, resulting in the death of at least 224 civilians, including women and children. He also condemned the United States for supporting the Israeli attacks, asserting that the assault was only possible due to U.S. weapons, intelligence, and political backing, thus making the U.S. jointly responsible.

Highlighting the timing of the attack, Iravani pointed out its occurrence just before the resumption of the sixth round of nuclear talks in Muscat, where Iran had submitted a new proposal. In contrast, he accused the U.S. of acting in bad faith and undermining diplomacy. He suggested that Israel’s actions aim to derail negotiations, escalate conflict, and divert attention from crimes in Gaza.

Iravani stressed that Iran did not initiate conflict with Israel, and dismissed narratives of an ‘existential threat’ as fabricated and lacking legal basis. He warned that any nation aiding Israel would share legal responsibility for the aggression’s consequences. Iran has called for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting to address the aggression, urging immediate action, although the Council has yet to respond.