Khaberni - The Iranian Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Gholam Hossein Dehghani, said before the Security Council on Thursday, that Iran does not seek escalation or confrontation, but it will respond to any act of aggression, whether direct or indirect, decisively, proportionately, and legally.
Dehghani added, during the Security Council meeting called by Washington, that Iran has lost many innocent civilians and members of its security forces in recent weeks.
He expressed regret that the representative of the "United States regime" who requested this meeting used "lies, distortion of facts, and deliberate misinformation to hide his country’s direct involvement in turning the unrest in Iran into violence."
He stated that the United States' call to convene this meeting aims to cover up its direct involvement in crimes "committed by its mercenaries" during the protests, adding that Israel is trying to "drag" the United States into another war against Iran.
He continued, "The United States regime tries to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people while at the same time laying a foundation for political instability and military intervention under what is described as humanitarian rhetoric."
He pointed out that the peaceful demonstrations that began on December 28 with legitimate economic demands were "deliberately exploited by organized armed groups and turned into violent riots."
Meanwhile, the Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Sun Lei, referred to what he described as "threats" from the United States to use force against Iran, saying that "the drums of war gather above the Middle East, and tension continues to escalate in the region."
He affirmed his country's call for compliance with the United Nations Charter and international law, opposing the use of force or the threat of using it in the context of international relations, or imposing will on other countries or reverting to "the law of the jungle."
The Chinese delegate said that Iran is an independent sovereign state and that its affairs should be independently determined by the Iranian people.
He called on the international community to support the government and people in Iran in overcoming the current difficulties and maintaining national security and societal stability.
He added that the use of force can never solve problems, but rather makes them more complicated, and that "military adventures" would push the region into an unpredictable abyss.
He urged the United States to comply with the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, and called on all parties to exercise restraint and work together to maintain international peace and security.
The American Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Walters, said before the Security Council that Washington stands with the "brave Iranian people", and that President Donald Trump "has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the massacre."
