TEHRAN – Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, has strongly criticized the United States, accusing it of being the primary "advocate and propagator" of terrorism in West Asia and beyond.

He also dismissed recent U.S. accusations against Iran as unfounded and without merit.

In a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Michael Imran Kanu, Iravani expressed Iran's rejection of the baseless allegations made by the United States.

The letter, sent on Monday, was a direct response to statements made by the U.S. envoy during a Security Council meeting held four days earlier.

During that meeting, the U.S. representative had accused Iran of supporting terrorist activities in the region, a claim that Iravani condemned as both irresponsible and unfounded.

The following is the full text of the Iranian envoy’s letter:

Excellency,

I am writing to you regarding the UN Security Council's open briefing held on 8 August 2024, under the agenda item "Threat to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts" (S/PV.9701). During this meeting, the representative of the United States, while responding to the statement of the representative of the Russian Federation, deviated from the agenda item and made an unwarranted and misleading reference to the Islamic Republic of Iran, falsely accusing Iran of supporting terrorism in the region.

The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects and strongly condemns this baseless allegation and irresponsible behavior by the United States representative.

It is unequivocally clear that the United States, not Iran, is the primary advocate and propagator of terrorism, both in the region and globally. It is both ironic and shameful that the United States accuses Iran while simultaneously, as a staunch supporter, continues to defend the genocidal acts of Israel and provide Israel with an endless cache of weapons to terrorize and massacre the innocent people of Palestine, including children and women, prolonging the bloodshed and horror in the Gaza Strip. The most recent massacre committed by Israel against the displaced civilians at Al-Tabi'in School in central Gaza City on 10 August 2024 which led to the martyrdom of at least 100 innocent Palestinian people, including children and women, is a result of such ironclad support of the US.

Moreover, the US support of UN-designated terrorist groups such as Al-Nusrah Front (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) in its occupation areas in the Syria Arab Republic in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and pertinent Security Council resolutions is further evidence of how the United States is the principal sponsor of terrorism in the region. Given such a dark record, the United States has no standing to accuse or lecture other members of the United Nations.

I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council.