UN envoy: Iran will give ‘decisive’ response to any threat to its security, national interests

Iran's permanent ambassador to the United Nations says the Islamic Republic will give a decisive response if any threat is posed to its security and national interests.

Amir Saeed Iravani was addressing a UN Security Council's session on the situation in West Asia and Syria on Monday.

The ambassador was responding to allegations raised against Iran by the United States’ representative to the UN during the meeting.

Rejecting Washington’s claims as “baseless,” Iravani said Iran has consistently upheld its commitments to promoting peace and security in the region, adding, “The effectiveness of Iran's anti-terrorism efforts, particularly against terrorist groups like Daesh, is evident to all.”

Accusing the United States of “seeking to increase escalation” in the region, Iran's ambassador emphasized, “Should it face any threat, attack, or aggression endangering its security, national interests, or people, Iran will not hesitate to use its inherent rights under international law and the UN Charter to respond decisively.”

Iravani then condemned the United States’ illegal presence in Syria, saying, “The unlawful presence of the United States in Syria -- purportedly for counterterrorism purposes but actually to support terrorist organizations -- flagrantly violates the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

He added that on the opposite, “Iran's presence in Syria is fully legal and in response to an official request from the Syrian government to combat terrorism.”

“The United States must rectify its transgressions of international law and the UN Charter by discontinuing its support for terrorist groups and withdrawing from Syria,” Iran's ambassador said.

He also touched on the US role in the ongoing Israeli aggression against the blockaded Gaza Strip, which has so far killed more than 8,300 Gazans, most of them women and children.

Iravani said the US seeks to increase escalation in the occupied territories "by overtly aligning itself with the aggressor at the expense of the innocent Palestinian people."

“The United States and some Western countries have attempted to equate the Palestinian resistance and Palestinian people's right to self-defense and self-determination with terrorism, attempting to grant the occupying regime of Israel an unjust right to self-defense,” Iran's ambassador said.

He added that while the United States’ unwavering support for occupation and aggression has rendered it a part of the problem in the Gaza Strip, Iran's primary objective is to avoid any escalation in the region.

“That is why Iran has aligned itself with the international community in endorsing the call for an immediate end to Israel's relentless military aggression, establishment of ceasefire, and provision of unhindered humanitarian aid to the people in need in the Gaza Strip,” he concluded.