US-Israeli aggression against Iran ‘historic test’ for UN Security Council: Deputy FM

Kazem Gharibabadi, who is in New York to hold political consultations and participate in two high-level UN Security Council meetings on Monday, made the remarks during a briefing meeting with representatives from more than 110 UN member states.

He detailed the scope of the military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran's territorial sovereignty, highlighting its severe implications for international peace and security.

He identified Israel as the primary source of regional insecurity and instability over the past eight decades, underscoring that the regime has conducted “more than 3,000 terrorist operations, displaced over seven million Palestinians, martyred hundreds of thousands, and detained more than one million Palestinians.'"

Highlighting the dangerous nature of Israel’s nuclear arsenal, he emphasized that the regime is “not party to any disarmament or non-proliferation treaties and maintains hundreds of nuclear warheads in its stockpiles.”

He underscored Iran’s peaceful nuclear program—constantly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) —while exposing the hypocrisy of Israel, which for over 30 years has peddled lies to the world and the US about an Iranian nuclear bomb that has never existed.

“Where is this so-called bomb?” he challenged. “How absurd is it that a regime drenched in aggression, criminality, and brutality—armed to the teeth with every weapon of mass destruction—dares accuse a committed NPT member state?!’"

He noted widespread global condemnation of the US-Israeli aggression on Iran's nuclear facilities, while criticizing three European states, the UK, France, and Germany, as well as international bodies for their complicity.

 “The Security Council, the IAEA Board of Governors, and others abdicated their duties through either silence or bias toward this blatant violation of international law.”

"Doesn't this dangerous silence send a message to countries … that if you are not a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, you will not be held accountable, and you will also enjoy privileges and immunity?!"

At the meeting, the attendees emphasized the need to uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter, confront double standards, and support the legitimate right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend itself.

Israel 'primarily targeted civilians'

In a meeting with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in New York, Gharibabadi strongly rejected the regime’s claim of ‘self-defense’ regarding its recent military aggression against Iran, calling it a blatant lie.

He added that the Israeli aggression was contrary to the UN Charter and lacked any legal or international legitimacy.

Gharibabadi underlined that during the aggression, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of nearly 7,000 Iranian citizens, most of whom were civilians, the occupying regime violated all established principles and norms of international law.

The ICRC head, for her part, stressed the importance of expanding bilateral cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Referring to the good relations between the ICRC and the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Egger noted that some medical aid has already been sent to Iran.

On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression against Iran, assassinating many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and killing civilians.

On June 22, the United States also entered the war and bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, in a clear violation of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Two days later, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the illegal assault.

E3 bears full responsibility for snapback consequences

In another meeting with the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, Gharibabadi dismissed the recent remarks by E3 (Germany, France and the Britain) regarding the snapback mechanism as legally untenable.

He warned that “any attempt to reactivate the snapback mechanism for concluded Security Council resolutions will only exacerbate tensions—with Western parties bearing full responsibility for the consequences."

The snapback mechanism was included in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA. It allows any one party to the deal to trigger a process that restores all previous UN sanctions on Iran—which were lifted under the accord—if Tehran is found to be in “significant” breach of its obligations.

Gharibabadi added that Iran will “firmly defend its sovereignty, independence, and national interests in face of any aggression."

At the meeting, representatives from various countries, including, Russia, China, Palestine, Venezuela and others, broadly supported Iran's positions with regard to the recent US-Israeli aggression.