Sixth Committee, 19th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 81st session

1. Item 81

   Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts

2. Item 178

   Observer status for the Parliamentary Assembly of la Francophonie in the General Assembly

3. Item 76

   Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its fifty-ninth session

🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran

1. 🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of IranFirst reply▶ 3:17:24 · 5 min

   For us, it's not a surprise that the United States claims adherence to international humanitarian law, but does exactly up the opposite. And the US flagrant disregard for civilian lives and civilian infrastructure. have been de has been demonstrated uh in the course of the aggression against my country, uh both by words and in deeds. In deeds. In words, the US openly threatened our bridges, power plants, among others. And I can quote from official statements of the United States, for example, quoting that every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night and this quotation belongs to April 2026. And then the the the leak the list is comprehensive, I can go on But in practice, these uh statements were followed or preceded by destruction of our civilian infrastructure, and they have been well documented in uh reports that we have duly submitted before the UN Security Council, including document Slash 2026 slash seven three nine. Among the horrific atrocities was the attack against the Shahjaratayev Elementary School in Minab, where 168 uh school children and teachers were killed. And uh as I mentioned in our statement, the remains of Makan Nassiri was never were never found, uh, given the devastating impacts of the the U.S. attack on this elementary school. We have so many cases, unfortunately, where civilian infrastructure and civilians have been killed in the course of the aggression. Another example is uh on the same day 28 February where aggressors killed children attending sport facilities in La Merde and they hit that facility With a missile capable of dispersing approximately 180,000 high velocity fragments. And the question is that which part of killing of children by the United States corresponds to the principles of distinction, precaution, and proportionality? None of them, this is war crime. Or which part of targeting civilians, including children in Lawmart? By US missiles that kills and injures everyone with little fragments in 360 degree radius are consistent with IHL. Again, none, these are war crimes. And I I believe everyone knows that our civilization was also threatened, but we know from our rich history that our civilization will not be uh threatened or uh obliterated by missiles or attacks as such. We have been in the region for thousands of years and we will continue to be there. Uh the fact remains that is that the United States does not believe in IHL, both in words and in deeds. In relation to another statement regarding my country, um I have to mention that uh well we categorily categorically reject the baseless statements uh leveled against my country. Our defensive responses were in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law. And uh political rhetoric could not change the place of uh victim and the culprit. Um as we have mentioned time and again, this aggression, during which the aggressors violently breached international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, was enabled and facilitated by certain countries in the region that placed their territories, air airspace, and facilities at the disposal of the aggressors. And as per relevant international law, this is not a mere aid and assistance to the aggressor, this is actually an act of aggression as defined in resolution 3314 of General Assembly and entails international responsibility under international law. Uh, we have to reiterate that our defensive measures were never intended against the people of neighboring states or their sovereignty. Iran, like always, remains committed to good neighborliness. We have demonstrated that through our thousands of years civilizational history. But good neighborness ne good neighborliness cannot be one sided commitment. We expect all states to transpose this principle as well as peremptory norm of prohibition of aggression. Into concrete conduct by refraining from any support to the aggressors against any aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. And finally, Madam Chair, our position in relation to the UN Security Council, so called Resolution 2817, is clear and has been reflected in document contained in Slash 2026 slash 202 and another document entitled S slash 2026 slash 389. Thank you.

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