UN, West inaction on 'Israel' pushed Iran to retaliate, Raisi says
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi cited Article 51 of the UN Charter as justification for Iran's self-defense operation against the Israeli occupation.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shake hands during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 (Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
In a phone conversation held Tuesday at Tehran's initiative, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Islamic Republic was forced to retaliate against "Israel" due to the destructive actions of the United Nations, the US, and other Western countries.
"The destructive role of the US and a number of other Western countries, as well as the inaction and ineffectiveness of international institutions, including the UN and the Security Council, in dealing with Israel's aggressive actions in connection with the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria forced Iran to take action and exercise its right of self-defense based on Article 51 of the UN Charter," Raisi said, as quoted in a statement posted on the presidency’s website.
Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations underlined Thursday the necessity of Tehran responding to the Israeli airstrike on its consulate in Damascus, which martyred seven Iranian military advisors, including Brigadier General martyr Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the leader of the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon.
Iran's diplomats stressed that if it were not for the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli occupation in the UN Security Council, and if the perpetrators of the attack on Iran's consulate in Syria were brought to justice, the Islamic Republic would not have found it necessary to retaliate against the Israeli occupation.
"Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated," the mission said in a brief statement.
Iran's overnight attack on Sunday was conducted in response to "Israel's" recent aggression on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. The attack involved drones, cruise missiles, and surface-to-surface missiles launched from Iran. The strikes that were intercepted came in joint collaboration between US, French, UK, and Jordanian forces.
Read more: Smallest action against Iran to be met with painful response: Raisi
During an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday, Russia's Permanent Representative, Vassily Nebenzia, condemned the Council's inaction regarding the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, while also calling for an end to bloodshed in the Middle East.
"It is regrettable that, unlike today's meeting, you did not propose to bring it to brief the Council on the 2nd of April," he remarked, highlighting that Russia convened an emergency briefing to address the Israeli strike on the consular premises in Damascus.
Nebenzia criticized "Israel" for its non-compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions, labeling it as "an evident disrespect shown to the Council, to all of you seated here as members, and a complete disregard for the decisions made by the Security Council."
