Why it matters:
The United States has once again sought to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs, fomenting unrest with the apparent goal of undermining the Iranian government and destabilizing the country.
The big picture:
The U.S. President has issued new threats against Iran, warning of possible U.S. military action. In a post on his official Truth Social account, he wrote: “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Trump had earlier made similar remarks regarding Iran’s military capabilities during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which were widely viewed as interference in Iran’s internal affairs.
“If they are trying to build up again, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that build-up,” he said.
What Iran's saying:
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressed the issue in a letter, pointing to several matters, including:
"In a statement amounting to the incitement of violence, unrest, and terrorist acts within Iran, the President of the United States openly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran with the use of force and intervention, declaring that 'We are locked and loaded and ready to go.' "
"Only days earlier, the President of the United States publicly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran with the use of force, including renewed military attacks against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities and its defensive capabilities. These repeated and deliberate statements demonstrate a consistent pattern of unlawful conduct by the United States and constitute a clear, explicit, and unlawful threat of the use of force against a sovereign State, as well as interference in its internal affairs."
"Such threats, irrespective of political pretexts or rhetorical framing, are strictly prohibited under international law. Any attempt to incite, encourage, or legitimize internal unrest as a pretext for external pressure or military intervention constitutes a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity, in flagrant breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, including Articles 2 (1), 2 (4), and 2 (7) thereof, as well as General Assembly resolution 2625 (XXV) of 1970. Moreover, under international law, the encouragement, support, or facilitation of subversive or violent activities within another State constitutes an internationally wrongful act, directly engaging the responsibility of the intervening State."
"Ironically, these so-called claims of 'supporting the Iranian people' emanate from officials of a State with a long and well-documented record of military interventions, regime-change operations, and unlawful uses of force across the globe, carried out in gross violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and resulting in widespread civilian casualties, the collapse of States, humanitarian catastrophes, and the emergence and empowerment of extremist and terrorist groups. Furthermore, the Iranian people have, over decades, experienced the true consequences of the United States’ professed concern for their welfare. The historical record of the United States demonstrates a consistent pattern of intervention and coercion pursued under the pretext of 'supporting the Iranian people.' "
"The Islamic Republic of Iran unequivocally rejects and strongly condemns these reckless, interventionist, and inflammatory statements, and reaffirms its inherent right to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security, and to protect its people against any foreign interference. Iran will exercise its rights decisively and proportionately. The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats and any ensuing escalation."
Go deeper:
Iran Warns U.S. Against Interference in Internal Affairs
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