TEHRAN- Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations dismissed accusations leveled by the U.S. pinning the blame on Tehran for the recent drone attacks against the U.S. troops stationed Jordan and other strikes in Iraq and Syria.
In a letter to President of the UN Security Council Nicolas de Rivière on Monday, Saied Iravani stressed that Iran’s armed forces are not tied with the actions of the regional resistance groups whether in Iraq, Syria, or elsewhere.
What follows is the text of his letter:
I am writing to respond to the letter dated 26 January 2024 (S/2024/101) from the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations. The letter contains unwarranted references alleging militia groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces involving in actions against US personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria.
The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects these unfounded allegations. As previously emphasized in our correspondences, including the letters dated 4 December 2023 and 2 January 2024 (S/2023/953- S/2024/9), there is no group affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces, whether in Iraq, Syria, or elsewhere, that operates directly or indirectly under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran or acts on its behalf. Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not responsible for the actions of any individual or group within the region.
Furthermore, the actions undertaken by the United States in Syria and Iraq are illegal and violate both international law and the UN Charter, particularly Article 2(4) of the Charter. Consequently, the US notification submitted to the Security Council in the aforementioned letter under Article 51 of the UN Charter lacks a legal foundation and fails to legitimize such actions.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
In a statement on the late Sunday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations noted that Tehran is not embroiled in last night’s drone attacks on the U.S. troops stationed in Jordan.
It also added that this matter is not tied to Iran but a kind of conflict between U.S. forces and resistance groups.
The statement comes in the wake of drone attacks on a U.S. base on the border of Jordan and Syria that left three American forces killed and at least 34 wounded.
It went on to add that there is no link in the attack, underling that the incident was part of the “conflict between the army of the United States of America and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks.”
Also on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani reacted to the attacks, saying, “As we have clearly stated before, the resistance groups in the region are responding to the war crimes and genocide of the child-killing Zionist regime and… they do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The spokesman ruled out “the baseless accusations” against Iran, describing them as “a blame game and a plot by those who try to protect their own interests and cover up their problems by dragging the U.S. into a new conflict in the region and provoking it to intensify the crisis.”
He went on to add, “These groups decide and act based on their own principles and priorities as well as the interests of their country and people.”
Kanaani also averred that the allegations of Iran’s involvement are popped up by certain countries having political machinations to distort the realities and are under the direct influence of the child-killing Zionist regime.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibly for the attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan-Syria border.
Iranian officials have frequently said resistance groups act on their own in response to Israeli crimes in Gaza.
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