Iran accuses US of violating memorandum of understanding in letter to UN
Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani. PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran sent a letter to the UN accusing the US of violating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ending the war and of committing war crimes.
“Almost immediately after the signing of the Memorandum, and continuing to the present day, the United States has not only failed to honor its commitments but has actively and systematically undermined the very foundations of the Memorandum,” Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
The letter alleged breaches including renewed US military strikes on Iranian territory, the revocation of licenses for Iranian oil sales, the establishment of a parallel maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, and continued US support for Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Read: US strikes kill at least seven at Iranian army base, Iran's Tasnim reports
“These deliberate, calculated, and sustained actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further demonstrate the United States' complete disregard for its international legal obligations,” he said.
Iravani said Iran had formally raised each violation with mediators but that the US "continued to escalate its unlawful actions."
He said the war on Iran that began on Feb. 28 constituted "unprovoked acts of aggression" by the US and Israel in violation of the UN Charter, which he said, "have included numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity."
He called on the Security Council to take "immediate, effective and decisive measures" to compel Washington to halt its “ongoing unlawful acts” against Iran.
Tensions have escalated between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, with the two sides exchanging attacks despite a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.