Iran Files Complaint to the Security Council Over Trump’s Statements

Iran submitted an official letter to the United Nations Security Council, expressing its objection to statements by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he spoke about his country’s readiness to “protect peaceful Iranian protesters if they are subjected to violence.”

In the letter, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Saeed Iravani, said that his country considers these statements “interference and provocation,” and views them as a threat to security and stability. He affirmed that Iran reserves its right to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security, stressing that any response would be “decisive and proportionate,” according to the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA).

Iravani also held the United States “fully responsible for any consequences or escalation that may result from these statements.”

Official Iranian Positions

In the same context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the U.S. statements, affirming his country’s rejection of any foreign interference in its internal affairs, and noting the readiness of the armed forces to deal with any action that infringes on Iranian sovereignty.

Similar criticism was also issued by the head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and Ali Shamkhani, adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, both of whom warned against interference in Iran’s internal issues.

Warnings to Protesters

On the domestic front, Iranian police issued a warning to protesters who have taken to the streets over the past six days in various parts of the country. Police spokesperson Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi said that the authorities acknowledge that the protests express livelihood-related demands, affirming in a statement that the police “distinguish between legitimate demands and acts of sabotage,” and that they will not allow unrest to turn into chaos.

For his part, the public prosecutor of Lorestan Province, Ali Hassan Vand, warned against participation in illegal gatherings, considering that any disruption of public order would be deemed a crime punishable by law. He accused “opportunistic elements” of seeking to undermine public security.

Conversely, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on the Iranian authorities to respect the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Background of the Protests

The protests come amid an economic crisis facing Iran, at a time when it is subject to U.S. and international sanctions related to several files, including its nuclear and missile programs, in addition to a noticeable decline in the value of the local currency.

They also come about six months after a military confrontation with Israel, which saw strikes targeting nuclear and military facilities and civilian sites, during which the United States intervened by bombing three major Iranian nuclear facilities last June.

According to Agence France-Presse, the protests affected at least 20 cities, particularly concentrated in the western parts of the country, but did not reach the level of the widespread protests witnessed in Iran in late 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, or those that erupted in November 2019 over fuel price hikes.