Iranupdated 19m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 26 September 2015Iran’s Araghchi Warns US Must Halt Attacks, Cites UN Charter Self-Defense Right
4 West Asian1 OtherPhoto: Azadi68, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Iran reserves legitimate self-defense rights if attacked by the United States. Iran asserts US attacks without valid legal justification are internationally wrongful acts.
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Self-defense and legal warnings
Iran’s foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran reserves the right to legitimate self-defense in response to an armed attack, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Araghchi said that in the absence of any valid legal justification for the use of force, a United States military attack against Iran would be an internationally wrongful act for which the United States bears responsibility.
Araghchi also attacked U.S. officials’ “delusions and baseless notions” as leading to the failure in U.S. policy, and he referenced a comparison to Pompeo and a later mention of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Araghchi’s position framed the dispute as a question of international law limits on force, with Article 2(4) prohibiting the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
The Iranian argument also asserted that the U.S. military attack on Iran did not have Security Council authorization and that claims about potential future threats could not by themselves provide a sufficient legal basis for self-defense.
Trump interview and escalation
In an interview published on November 12, Trump told Huerta that “Yes, it would be a failure, for sure” if the Iranian regime’s leaders continued to rule after he leaves the White House.
Trump said he would “resort to military action” if he saw things going contrary to his expectations, and he added, “I might do that even now.”
Trump also confirmed that the United States has “full” control of the Strait of Hormuz and claimed the Iranian regime has lost control of the waterway.
Trump tied his approach to timing and regional requests, telling Steven A. Smith that he could end the war “immediately” but would continue “a little longer and in a more prudent way” at the request of countries he said he is trying to protect.
Trump said that if those requests were not granted, he would launch harsher strikes, replying “Yes, I would” when Smith asked about harsher strikes.
What Iran says is at risk
Iran’s foreign minister argued that the fate of the international legal system depends on whether states and entities can launch attacks based on unilateral estimates of future threats. Araghchi said the military attacks carried out by the United States and the Zionist entity against Iran constitute a clear violation of the prohibition on the use of force and an assault on Iran’s territorial sovereignty. Araghchi said Article 51 requires an “armed attack” and argued that appealing to claims of potential future threats does not constitute a sufficient legal basis to invoke the right of self-defense.
Araghchi warned that any military aggression entails international responsibility and said UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 defines aggression as, among other things, the armed attack by one state against the territory of another state or imposing a blockade on the ports or coasts of a state. Araghchi concluded that the issue goes beyond Iran’s security, stressing that “the true essence lies in preserving the credibility of the international legal order” and warning that bypassing legal commitments would undermine the entire system.