'Cowardly Terrorist Act': Iran Foreign Minister Araghchi Writes To UN Secy Gen Over Khamenei's Killing

Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the UN Security Council on Monday, after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint military operation, carried out by the United States and Israel.

The strikes hit multiple strategic locations across Tehran and other major Iranian cities, resulting in considerable destruction and casualties. Members of Khamenei's family were also killed in the joint military operation, which the US referred to as 'Operation Epic Fury.' Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israeli territory and US bases, causing substantial casualties on all sides, and triggering wider conflict across the Middle East. Explosions were also heard in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and UAE.

In his letter to Guterres and the Security Council, Araghchi accused Washington and Tel Aviv of blatant aggression and called on the UN to take urgent action against what Iran termed "illegal acts of force" that threaten global peace and security. He urged immediate steps to halt the conflict and bring about diplomatic resolution.

Here's what Araghchi wrote in his letter to the UN Secretary-General:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I hereby draw your Excellency’s urgent attention to the latest horrific and criminal act by the United States of America and the Israeli regime against the great nation of Iran. Failure to respond decisively to such behavior will not only embolden its perpetrators, but will also cause lasting and irreparable damage to the foundations of the international legal order for decades to come.

In a new series of aggressive, unprovoked, and unjustified acts against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States and the Israeli regime deliberately targeted the highest official of an independent member state of the United Nations, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on February 28, 2026.

This cowardly terrorist act, which was carried out in flagrant violation of Article 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter of the United Nations, is a direct assault on the most fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition of the use of force, the principle of sovereign equality of States, and the inviolability and immunity of heads of state.

Such an act constitutes a dangerous and unprecedented practice that targets fundamental norms of state sovereignty and civilized behavior among nations. Heads of state are the expression of the sovereignty of their nations and, under international law, are inviolable, respected, and immune, a principle that is essential for the independent exercise of their official duties.

Therefore, the deliberate targeting of the highest official of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a flagrant and unprecedented violation of the most fundamental norms governing relations between states. Such behavior is not merely a violation of established principles of international law; Rather, it will recklessly cause dangerous unforeseen problems and undermine the foundation of sovereign equality of states and the stability of the international system.

Furthermore, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is not only the highest official of the country but also a religious figure and respected by tens of millions of Muslims in the region and around the world. Such an attack has profound and far-reaching consequences for which the perpetrators bear full responsibility.

This in no way negates the inherent and inalienable right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and people in full compliance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.

The act in question was committed in flagrant disregard for the peremptory principles of international law and customary international law, including those enshrined in the 1973 Convention for the Prevention of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons. This action will bring about the international responsibility of the relevant offending states, and will also entail the individual criminal responsibility of the President of the United States, the so-called Prime Minister of the Israeli regime, and all persons who were involved in planning, ordering, authorizing, committing, or in any other way aiding and abetting this criminal act.

The above shall not negate the prosecution and accountability for the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression that are continuously being committed by agents of the United States and the Israeli regime.

In view of the above, and in a situation where the normalization of gross violations of international law unfortunately threatens the integrity of the international system, the Islamic Republic of Iran formally and firmly calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to fulfill their responsibilities under the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, and to take immediate, specific, and effective measures to ensure the full accountability of the United States and the Israeli regime for the aforementioned heinous terrorist act.

I would be grateful if you would order that the present correspondence be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.

This comes after a heated exchange of words broke out between the United States, Israel and Iran during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday as escalating military exchanges between Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran deepened fears of a wider regional conflict.

The strikes reportedly hit Khamenei’s office complex, known as Beit-e Rahbari, where he was said to have been present. Iran announced 40 days of national mourning after confirming Khamenei's death. 

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