Addressing a Security Council meeting on Friday regarding rising tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Gholamhossein Darzi stressed that the root causes of the current situation are the unprovoked wars of aggression launched by the US and the Israeli regime on June 13, 2025, and February 28, 2026.
"The US is the aggressor, not the victim," Darzi declared, condemning the assassination of Iran's Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, senior officials, and nuclear scientists.
He emphasized that the Council must direct its demands at the aggressor, not the victim, and called on the US to cease all illegal threats and comply fully with the UN Charter.
Detailing the devastating civilian toll of the US-Israeli bombing campaigns, the Iranian envoy noted that over 5,000 innocent Iranians have been killed, including 254 children and 251 women.
He specifically highlighted egregious war crimes committed by US forces, including a Tomahawk missile strike on a school in Minab that martyred 168 children, and an attack on a stadium in Lamerd that killed at least 21 civilians.
Darzi also condemned US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for declaring "no quarter, no mercy"—a blatant violation of international humanitarian law—and cited President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to destroy Iran's civilian bridges and power plants.
The ambassador emphasized that the insecurity surrounding the Strait of Hormuz is a direct consequence of these American crimes.
"The US cannot bomb Iran, violate its sovereignty, target civilian infrastructure, impose a military and naval blockade, and deploy illegal coercive schemes like 'Operation Economic Outcast' and 'Task Force Iron Gate' to collectively punish 90 million people, and then expect the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal as if nothing happened," he stated.
Warning to aggressors
While affirming that Iran has never closed the door to diplomacy and has entered negotiations in good faith over the past two years, Darzi noted that Washington has consistently chosen aggression over dialogue, creating deep mistrust.
"If Washington is truly committed to a diplomatic solution, it must immediately and unconditionally end its aggression, provide credible guarantees of non-repetition, respect Iran’s sovereign rights, lift the naval blockade and all other unlawful unilateral coercive measures, and demonstrate its real commitment to diplomacy in practice," he said.
Issuing a warning to the Council, Darzi added: "Let me be explicit and clear: Any renewal of the aggressive war by the US and the Israeli regime will be met with an immediate, decisive, and unwavering response; a response that will target the source of the aggression, wherever it may be."
Darzi also firmly rejected UNSC Resolution 2817 (2026), calling it a politically motivated abuse of the Council's authority that legitimizes aggression and denies Iran's inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Furthermore, he sharply criticized remarks by the representatives of Bahrain and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), accusing certain regional states of complicity in war crimes.
By providing their territory, airspace, and military bases to the US and Israel, these states have facilitated the aggression and bear international responsibility, he argued, adding that they are legally obligated to fully compensate Iran for all material and moral damages inflicted upon the country.
China, Russia demand end to war
The UNSC meeting also saw strong backing for Iran's position from China and Russia, both of whom emphasized that the war of aggression against Iran must end immediately and that there is no alternative to negotiations.
China's Ambassador Fu Cong stated that the conflict must be decisively ended, noting that "there are no winners in war and conflict."
He stressed that the precondition for resolving regional issues is an immediate ceasefire, the cessation of the illegal use of force, and a halt to unilateral military actions.
Fu urged all parties to act with a sense of responsibility toward their people and history, and to reach a comprehensive ceasefire as soon as possible rather than returning to armed confrontation.
He also praised the mediation efforts of Qatar and Pakistan, encouraging the US and Iran to firmly choose peace and resume dialogue to reach a comprehensive agreement.
Russia's Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva was even more direct in identifying the root cause of the crisis.
"The root cause of these developments is clear. In late February, the US and Israel launched an aggression against Iran," she declared.
She highlighted the targeting of Iranian civilians, specifically mentioning the shock the world felt over the killing of more than 150 children in a missile strike on a school in Minab.
She also condemned the assassination of Iran's Leader and senior officials, as well as the targeting of civilian nuclear infrastructure, which created a direct risk of a nuclear catastrophe.
Evstigneeva stressed that only fair and honest negotiations can resolve the crisis, expressing Russia's readiness to provide all necessary assistance to achieve tangible results.
In contrast to the calls for an end to aggression, representatives from the US, France, and the UK repeated their familiar anti-Iran rhetoric, completely ignoring the US-Israeli wars of aggression that triggered the current crisis.
Jennifer Lockett, the US Deputy Representative to the UN, blamed Iran for the regional instability without mentioning a single word about Washington's and Tel Aviv's attacks on Iran.
She claimed that Iran's missiles, drones, and naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz threaten global energy and food security, urging the Council to hold Iran accountable for its actions.
The French and UK ambassadors similarly aligned with Washington, accusing Iran of destabilizing activities while failing to condemn the initial acts of aggression against Iranian sovereignty.