Iran urges UN action over US ‘economic terrorism’ campaign

Tehran - BORNA - The full text of the letter is as follows:

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

His Excellency Mr. António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations

I wish to draw your urgent attention, and through you the attention of the members of the Security Council and all members of the United Nations, to the latest act of US state terrorism against Iran, announced on August 24, 2026, under the title “Operation Economic Exclusion.”

Having failed to achieve its criminal objectives in two wars of aggression against Iran in 2025 and 2026, and having failed to persuade other countries to participate in those imposed wars, the United States has decided to pursue the same unlawful objective — namely, compelling independent states to abandon their considered decision not to join an act of aggression — by exerting pressure and coercion to force them to participate in an “operation of economic terrorism.”

With blatant disregard for multilateralism and diplomacy, the United States is pursuing a policy of intimidation and terrorism.

The declared objective of this so-called “operation” is to terminate lawful economic relations with Iran, backed by threats of secondary sanctions and exclusion from the US financial system.

This objective constitutes an attempt to extend the extraterritorial application of US laws and foreign-policy objectives to other countries and to compel sovereign states to alter their lawful trade relations.

Such measures are incompatible with the principle of sovereign equality enshrined in Article 2(1) of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as with the right of all states to freely determine their economic and foreign policies without interference by others.

Silence in the face of such systematic and persistent intimidation risks further normalizing violations of the UN Charter and the principles of international law that form the cornerstone of international relations among sovereign states.

In this regard, I wish to draw your attention to the following:

The recently announced measures envisage the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities “regardless of where they are located.” This represents an attempt to extend US laws and policies beyond the limits of its legitimate jurisdiction and to subject the sovereign economic choices of other states to decisions taken unilaterally in Washington.

Although repeated resort to such coercive measures cannot, through acquiescence or repetition, create a lawful right to exercise unlimited extraterritorial jurisdiction, these measures are intended to impose US restrictions on others across the global economy and compel third countries to implement policies that they have neither adopted nor accepted.

This so-called “operation” deliberately and indiscriminately targets civilians and is designed in a manner intended to circumvent the protections afforded to them under international law.

Through the deliberate deprivation of access to food, medicine, medical equipment, energy and other basic necessities, it imposes collective punishment and entails grave consequences for civilians’ enjoyment of the rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living.

Given the widespread and systematic nature of these sanctions, the criminal nature of this terrorist “operation,” as well as the criminal responsibility of those who order, direct, facilitate or knowingly implement such measures, must be addressed.

This so-called “operation” also represents a clear departure from the judgment and order of the International Court of Justice and demonstrates the severity of the crimes being committed by the United States against the Iranian people.

On October 3, 2018, the Court unanimously ordered the United States to ensure the free export to Iran of:

medicines and medical devices;

foodstuffs and agricultural commodities; and

spare parts, equipment and associated services — including warranty, maintenance, repair and inspection services — necessary for the safety of civil aviation.

The Court further ordered the United States to issue the necessary licenses and authorizations and to facilitate the transfer of payments and other funds related to those goods and services.

Excellency,

A defining moment now confronts the Security Council and all members of the United Nations.

We must either defend the principles of sovereign equality, non-intervention and respect for the sovereign rights of states, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, or submit to the unilateralism and bullying of a rogue state.

In the face of this latest assault by the United States on the principles of the UN Charter and international law, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the Security Council and the wider membership of the United Nations to:

Condemn and reject the use by the United States of unilateral coercive measures and secondary sanctions as instruments intended to compel sovereign states to alter their economic interests and lawful trade relations.

Refrain from recognizing, endorsing or implementing any such measures that seek to subordinate their sovereign rights to policies unilaterally determined by the United States.

Call upon the United States to immediately cease its threats and coercive measures designed to force third countries and their nationals to alter their lawful economic relations and interests.

Iran also calls upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to assess and report on the humanitarian and human rights consequences of these measures, including their impact on civilians’ access to food, medicine, healthcare, energy, transportation, humanitarian assistance and other conditions essential to the enjoyment of a life of dignity.

Iran further requests that relevant evidence be independently assessed, documented and preserved for the purposes of future accountability.

At the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to pursue all available avenues to ensure accountability, reparation and redress, and retains the right to hold the perpetrators accountable for the consequences of these inhumane and unlawful measures.

The internationally wrongful act of the United States in implementing a campaign of economic terrorism through unilateral coercive measures entails its international responsibility, including the obligation to provide full reparation for all material and moral damage caused, through restitution, compensation and satisfaction, in accordance with the requirements of international law.

The United States bears full international responsibility and, where the relevant legal elements are established, individual criminal responsibility for all consequences of these criminal and unlawful measures and for the damage inflicted on the Iranian people as a result of this act of state terrorism.

I would be grateful if you could arrange for the present letter to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran

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