Iran’s UN Envoy Warns Trump’s War Rhetoric Risks Escalating Regional Tensions

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council on January 28, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said President Trump had issued an explicit and public threat of force against a sovereign UN member state.

Iravani said the remarks, coupled with U.S. military posturing in the region, amount to a “flagrant breach” of the UN Charter, warning that such actions undermine regional stability and pose serious risks to international peace and security. He urged the United Nations to reject any threat or use of force against Iran and to hold Washington accountable for its obligations as a permanent member of the Security Council.

According to the letter, the Iranian envoy cited a social media post by Trump on January 28 in which the U.S. president referred to the deployment of a large naval force toward Iran and warned of severe consequences if Tehran failed to comply with U.S. demands. Iravani said the language used left no ambiguity about the threat of military aggression.

Iran “categorically rejects and condemns” what it described as irresponsible and provocative rhetoric, Iravani wrote, stressing that threats of force violate Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits both the use and threat of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.

The envoy said the statement was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of U.S. pressure, intimidation, and destabilizing actions against Iran, which he said increase the risk of miscalculation and conflict.
While reaffirming Iran’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations, Iravani emphasized Tehran’s right to self-defense under international law, warning that Iran would take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, territory, and population in the event of any armed attack. He said the United States would bear full responsibility for the consequences of any act of aggression.

Iravani called on the UN secretary-general and Security Council members to take action to halt what he described as ongoing violations of international law by the United States, urging them to remind Washington of its legal obligations and to work toward ending threats, coercive measures, and destabilizing actions against Iran. The Iranian diplomat requested that the letter be circulated as an official document of the UN Security Council.