Iran accuses US of aggression, warns of 'decisive response' to renewed attacks

Iran on Friday accused the US of waging an unlawful war of aggression against Tehran and warned of an "immediate and decisive response" to any renewed American or Israeli military attack. Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. He accused Western countries of distorting the facts and ignoring the root causes of regional tensions.

Darzi said Iran participated in the meeting to clarify the origins of the situation, accusing some Security Council members, particularly Western representatives, of portraying "aggressors" as victims. "We regret the positions taken by some Council members, particularly its Western members. Their statements reflect a familiar pattern of double standards and blatant hypocrisy," he told the council. Responding to remarks by the US representative, Darzi said Washington had no legal, political or moral standing to lecture or accuse Iran.

"The United States is the aggressor, not the victim," he said. He accused Washington of launching an unwarranted war against Iran in violation of the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law. 'Iran has never closed the door to diplomacy' Darzi also accused the US of violating Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, bombing civilian infrastructure, threatening the Iranian population with annihilation and imposing a military and maritime blockade.

The Iranian diplomat insisted that no Security Council resolution could deprive a UN member state of its inherent right to defend itself against an armed attack. "Let me reiterate: No Security Council resolution can deprive a member state of its inherent right of self-defense in the face of armed attack," he said. Darzi also rejected suggestions that Tehran was unwilling to pursue diplomatic solutions, stressing that Iran had not abandoned diplomacy.

"Iran has never closed the door to diplomacy," he told the council. However, he warned that any renewed military action by the US or Israel would draw an immediate response from Tehran. "Let us be clear: any renewed war of aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime will be met with an immediate and decisive response, without hesitation, directed against the source of aggression wherever it may be," he said.