United Nations, Feb 20: Iran will respond “decisively and proportionately” to any military aggression, exercising its right to self-defence under the UN Charter, its UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said in a letter to the secretary-general and the president of the Security Council.
Citing US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Diego Garcia, Iravani wrote: “In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response. The United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences.”
Trump on Wednesday called Britain’s lease of Diego Garcia, a key US-British military base in the Indian Ocean Chagos archipelago, a “big mistake,” noting it “may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia” if nuclear talks with Iran fail.
Under a deal announced in May 2025, Britain agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back Diego Garcia for 99 years at 101 million pounds ($136 million) annually, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Given the volatile situation in the region and the persistent movement and build-up of military equipment and assets by the United States, such a belligerent statement … must not be treated as mere rhetoric,” the letter said. “It signals a real risk of military aggression.”
“The Security Council and the Secretary-General must act without delay, before it is too late,” it said, warning that threats of force and acts of aggression must not be normalized, legitimized, or treated as instruments of foreign policy. It also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to a mutually acceptable, results-oriented solution with the United States in nuclear talks.
“Should the United States likewise approach these talks with seriousness and sincerity and demonstrate genuine respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the peremptory norms of international law, the achievement of a durable and balanced solution would be entirely possible,” it said. –IANS int/rs
