TEHRAN – Amir Saied Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, on Monday underlined Tehran’s support for the United Nations efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war.

Issuing a statement on the UN General Assembly draft resolution on Ukraine, Iravani expressed Iran’s clear, consistent, and unwavering position with regard to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“As a founding Member of the United Nations, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly supports fundamental principles of international law and the purposes and principles of the United Nations as enshrined in its Charter. 

“In the same vein, Iran has long been advocating the Declaration on the principles of Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and reaffirming the basic principles contained therein particularly underlining that all States shall refrain in their international relations from military, political, economic or any other form of coercion aimed against the political independence or territorial integrity of any State. 

“Regrettably, the same countries that emphasize ‘the importance of maintaining and strengthening international peace founded upon freedom, equality, justice and respect for human rights, and of developing friendly relations among nations irrespective of their political, economic and social systems or the levels of their development’, were, and are continuing to be, at in the forefront of violating these very principles elsewhere,” he stated.

The ambassador suggested that the UN should maintain “objectivity and impartiality” in order to settle the conflict in Ukraine.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the United Nation’s ongoing efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict. The United Nations should maintain objectivity and impartiality in order to play a responsible and constructive role in the political settlement of this conflict,” Iravani noted. 

He continued, “The draft resolution A/ES-11/L.6 contains languages that fall outside the purview of the competence of the General Assembly, as according to Article 39 of the Charter, the General Assembly has no authority to determine the existence of an act of aggression. Furthermore, the GA Resolution 3314 of 14 December 1974, based on the same Article of the Charter, calls on the Security Council to determine the existence of an act of aggression. We must not tolerate abusing General Assembly for the furthering narrow interests of a group of States by shrinking the role of this august body to a rubber stamp, as this would result in further undermining multilateralism and the rule of law at the international level. If agreed upon, the proposed mechanism would have no actual contribution to the peaceful resolution of the conflict; rather it would serve only as a political tool in the hand of a group of States.”

The ambassador also expressed Tehran’s displeasure over applying double-standards toward problems in other parts of the world, such as the conflict in Yemen or the agonies of people in Afghanistan and Syria. 

“The problem here is that the main sponsors of this draft resolution, in a blatant double standard, apply different criteria in other conflicts of the world, such as Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Yemen, and so on,” Iravani regretted.

Iravani added, “We share this view that if an international Mechanism is to be established to investigate violations of international law caused by state wrongdoing and assess its reparations, it should be a mechanism with a broad mandate that could address any instance of international wrongdoing committed by any State and address all incidents and demands for reparations including those arising from international responsibility for military aggressions, looting blockades, unilateral sanctions, and occupations,  apartheid, as well as provision of WMDs including chemical weapons to the brutal regimes like the Saddam Hussein.”

The ambassador reiterated Tehran’s fierce opposition to any mechanism that may undermine the principle of international law. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the inviolability of the jurisdictional immunities of States and their property, which are generally accepted as a principle of customary international law. The Islamic Republic of Iran, hereby, registers its strong objection to any mechanism that may undermine this well-established principle of international law. We would like to record that, any acts or decisions that may be derived from the mechanism referred to in OP3 and OP4 of the draft resolution will have no legal status and will thus be null and void,” the ambassador concluded.

UNGA to consider draft resolution on Afghanistan for the first time

Iravani also issued a statement on the situation in Afghanistan, calling the U.S. withdrawal from the war-torn country “irresponsible.”

“This year, the General Assembly will consider the draft resolution considering the Situation in Afghanistan for the first time since the irresponsible withdrawal of foreign forces and the Taliban's takeover and debate comes at a critical time in the ongoing situation in Afghanistan which is now dealing with a number of interconnected and overlapping crises,” Iravani said, adding, “The humanitarian situation is particularly dire. Millions of people are now living in poverty. Food insecurity is exacerbating and human rights continue to be violated particularly against women and girls, who are still denied access to education. Meanwhile, the de-facto authorities have yet to fulfill their international obligations.”
Following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan to fight terrorism and bring democracy to the country. However, after 20 years of occupation, the U.S. was forced to leave the country in disgrace.
 
The diplomat added, “The current situation in Afghanistan serves as a reminder that military intervention in other countries under the pretext of combating terrorism while claiming to bring democracy, peace, and prosperity not only degrades those common values but also harms those States and their people. This Catastrophic situation entails responsibility and obligations for those foreign forces that illegally invaded and occupied Afghanistan under the guise of fighting terrorism and left nothing but devastation in their wake.”

Iravani noted, “Today my delegation will vote in favor of the draft resolution L.11 to send a strong message that all members will stand firmly in unity with the people of Afghanistan in our efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous, and self-resilient country. That was the overarching principle guiding our approach to the negotiations.”

Iran’s top diplomat to the UN also reiterated Tehran’s long-held policy for an inclusive government in Afghanistan to ensure the rights of all Afghan people regardless of their ethnicity, gender or religious background.

“The future of Afghanistan principally contingents on the restoration of the country's Constitution and a strong commitment to it. An inclusive government based on an established constitution is the only way to ensure and protect the rights of all Afghan people, including women and girls, as well as linguistic, racial, and religious minorities. In a multi-ethnic and diverse society such as that of Afghanistan, no single group, party, or faction, can claim to hold power by itself alone. The Taliban must be mindful of the international community's repeated calls for the formation of such a government that accurately reflects Afghanistan's multi-ethnic society. The formation of an inclusive government based on an established constitution is a prerequisite and critical component for international recognition.”