Today marks the 8th day since the US-Israel invasion of Iran began. In a flagrant violation of Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, they launched a groundless and unwarranted act of aggression against our country starting Saturday, February 28th. They launched this brutal invasion, targeting the residence of Iran’s supreme leader in the heart of the capital, Tehran. The leader, who was also a highly respected Shiite religious jurist within the region and beyond, was martyred on the 10th day of the holy month of Ramadan, along with many of his family members, including his 14-month-old granddaughter.
At the same time, it launched massive airstrikes and missile attacks against military and civilian infrastructure across Iran. In just one case, an attack on an elementary school in Minab in southwestern Iran left 165 innocent schoolgirls and 26 teachers brutally murdered.
It is now clear that the US/Israel targeting of this elementary school was deliberate and pre-planned. A detailed investigation report based on satellite imagery, attack patterns, and geolocation analysis established that the attack directly hit a civilian school building during school hours. The purpose was to prioritize Iranian military and emergency response capabilities so that the invaders could subsequently target other strategic locations.
Military incursions continue and many civilian facilities are being targeted, resulting in massive loss of innocent lives and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
This new invasion was imposed on the Iranian state while Iran and the United States were engaged in a diplomatic process. Oman’s foreign minister, who acts as a mediator, announced that “significant progress” had been achieved in the latest round of negotiations held in Geneva on Thursday, February 26.
This attack represents yet another betrayal of diplomacy and shows that the United States has no respect for the fundamentals of diplomacy. Despite being fully aware of the hostile intentions of the US and Israeli apartheid regimes, Iran re-entered negotiations in order to leave no room for doubt before the international community – to demonstrate the legitimacy of the cause of the Iranian people and to expose the baselessness of the pretext for invasion. These events show that the United States does not truly believe in diplomacy and instead seeks to impose its will on other countries.
The nation of Iran has proven that it is proud and strong and will not bow down to threats or foreign interference. Thousands of years of history of Iranian civilization testify to the fact that Iranians never succumbed to invasion or domination.
For example, about 900 years ago, Farid al-Din Attar, one of the greatest poets in Iranian history, wrote in his book Tadkirat al-Awliya that Bayazid Bastami wrote, “Subani… It is said that when he uttered the ecstatic phrase “Ma Azama Shani” (“Glory to me, how great is my station”), some people accused him of heresy and attacked him with knives. However, as the story goes, each time he was stabbed, blood flowed from the assailant’s own body, rather than Bayezid bleeding.
Iran in this story is like Bayazid. History has shown that no matter what blows Iran takes, it is the aggressors, the knife-wielders, who are ultimately wiped out, while Iran endures and remains. This can be called the theory of Iranian continuity amidst super-crises and foreign invasions, a pattern that has been repeatedly demonstrated through the many invasions and attacks that Iran has endured over the past several centuries.
The airstrikes carried out by the Zionist regime and the United States against Iran violate Article 2, Section 4 of the United Nations Charter and constitute a clear act of armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. United Nations experts said in a statement on March 4 that the act of aggression was “illegal.” Furthermore, the assassination of the Supreme Leader and other Iranian officials is a clear violation of international treaties, including the 1973 Convention on Immunity for State Officials and the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons.
It is Iran’s legitimate and legitimate right under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to respond to this aggression. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all necessary capabilities to counter this criminal aggression and repel the enemy’s hostility. This right shall continue until the aggression has ceased and the matter has been appropriately addressed by the United Nations Security Council. As a nation acting in self-defense, Iran will determine the necessary measures commensurate with this armed attack.
In exercising this right, Iran had no choice but to target specific US military facilities in the region. These defensive operations are not directed against the host country and are carried out solely for the purpose of defending Iran. The targeted facilities were used by the United States to prepare and launch military attacks against Iran.
Iran fully respects the territorial integrity and political independence of its neighbors. All countries have a responsibility under international law and the principle of good neighborliness to not allow their territory, airspace, and facilities to be used for acts of aggression against Iran. As expressly acknowledged by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, any point of departure, base, or territorial base from which an act of aggression against Iran is launched, regardless of the country in which such forces may be stationed, shall be considered a legitimate military objective in the exercise of Iran’s inherent rights, consistent with article 3(f) of the annex to General Assembly resolution 3314 (XXIX) on the definition of aggression, regardless of the country in which such forces may be stationed. Self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. We need concrete and objective guarantees that further aggression will not be triggered by U.S. facilities in these countries.
Iran emphasizes the important responsibility of the United Nations and the Security Council to take immediate action against violations of international peace and security. We call on the Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council and its members to fulfill their responsibilities without delay.
All Member States of the United Nations, especially those of the region and the Islamic world, members of the Non-Aligned Movement, and all governments committed to international peace and security are expected to condemn this act of aggression and take urgent and collective action against it. Countries must remain vigilant and avoid getting caught up in the plans of the invaders.
Our message to the international community is clear. These acts of aggression and ongoing horrific crimes demonstrate an unprecedented erosion of the international legal order. Inaction in the face of such illegal acts would not only embolden the U.S. and Israeli regimes, but would do lasting and irreparable damage to the foundations of the international legal order.
The world is at a critical crossroads. They will have to decide whether they want ruthless bullying and control by force, or whether they want to prevent the rule of law from disappearing.
Unless the international community acts decisively and responsibly, this will not be the last illegal use of force.
States must not adopt a policy of indifference and appeasement. Failure to uphold the fundamental principles of international law is a recipe for a dark global dictatorship that will annihilate the United Nations and obliterate the basic tenets of humanity.
Every nation, every Muslim, every human being of conscience has a responsibility to act. The world must wake up before it’s too late. Otherwise, similar acts of aggression and crimes will be carried out within their own borders.
The Iranian state is using all means to defend itself. We will fight back against this unjust and brutal war of aggression against two nuclear-armed regimes.
This is an unjust war imposed on civilization. History will judge you all. All those who choose to side with the invaders and those who prefer to remain silent in the face of this brutal injustice are considered accomplices.
Please stand on the right side of history and oppose this cruel and unjust war.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
