On instructions from my Government and pursuant to our letter dated 31 July 2024 (S/2024/584), I would like to inform you and the members of the Security Council that, on the evening of Tuesday, 1 October 2024 (local time), the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out a series of missile attacks against the military and security targets of the Israeli regime.

This concluded action was in accordance with the inherent right of self-defence, as stated in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and in response to the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime, including violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the assassination of the political leader of Hamas and former Prime Minister of Palestine in Tehran on 31 July 2024, who was an official guest of the Iranian Government, the injuring of Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon due to the deliberate and indiscriminate targeting of civilians in Lebanon by detonating pagers on 17 September 2024, and the assassinations of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon and General Abbas Nilforoushan, an Iranian senior military adviser, in Beirut on 27 September 2024 (see S/2024/584, A/79/359-S/2024/684 and S/2024/701).

In contrast to the Zionist regime, which consistently considers innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure as legitimate targets for aggression and massacre, the Islamic Republic of Iran, grounded in ethical principles and the noble teachings of Islam, and in full compliance with the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law, has targeted only the regime’s military and security installations with its defensive missile strikes.

It is regrettable that the Security Council has failed in its fundamental duty to maintain international peace and security. The Council’s inaction has allowed Israel to flagrantly breach all red lines and violate the core principles of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law. This failure has left the Islamic Republic of Iran with no option but to exercise its legitimate rights under international law to take lawful action in defence of its national security and vital interests.

It should be noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s invocation of the right to self-defence, following an extended period of restraint, reflects Iran’s responsible approach to regional and international peace and security at a time when the illegal actions and genocide carried out by the occupying Zionist apartheid regime against the Palestinian people, as well as its repeated military aggressions against Lebanon and Syria, continue.

The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly warns against any acts of aggression by the Israeli terrorist regime against its national security and vital interests. Iran is fully prepared to take further defensive measures, if necessary, to protect its legitimate interests and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty against any acts of military aggression and the illegal use of force. Should the Israeli regime repeat such an internationally wrongful act again, Iran’s response will be swift, decisive and stronger than before. In this regard, Iran will have no hesitation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its calls upon the Security Council to urgently and decisively intervene to halt Israel’s continued aggression and war crimes against Lebanon, Gaza and Syria and to prevent the situation from escalating into a full-scale regional war.

I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council.

Amir Saeid Iravani