Araghchi: International Law Is Under Assault / Shots Fired at the Iran–U.S.

According to Rakna, citing the Government Information Base, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended and delivered a speech today (Sunday, 25 Aban) at the international conference “International Law Under Attack, Aggression and Defense,” held at the Center for Political and International Studies of the Foreign Ministry.

International law is under assault

He stated: On the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, at a time when we expected to witness unprecedented adherence to the principles and foundations of international law as universal virtues and as achievements of the international community, we are unfortunately witnessing a full-scale assault on these principles by revisionist powers.

The Foreign Minister said: Today we stand before a truth that can no longer be ignored or left unsaid: international law is under attack. The world is facing profound challenges, alarming trends, and unprecedented strategic shifts at every level.
The use of military tools has become a norm for advancing foreign policy goals.

The head of the diplomatic apparatus added: The supporting pillars of international law are facing unprecedented attacks from powers that were expected, as the traditional claimants of the post–World War II international order, to safeguard it. Even the normative structure established after the founding of the United Nations has descended into widespread disorder, to the extent that instead of “war and violence” being the exception and “peaceful coexistence” the rule, violence and war have become a new norm in international relations, and the use of military means has become the rule for some countries to advance their foreign policy objectives.

He said: The current situation is the fruit and result of anti-international-law trends that, unfortunately, in recent years have been pursued by the United States and some of its allied states to the benefit of a Western-centric order under the slogan of a “rules-based international order” instead of a “law-based international order.”

America’s force-based international order.

Araghchi stated: In practice, the so-called rules-based order has been interpreted and reinterpreted based on the short-term intentions, objectives, and interests of Western countries, and largely against international law, becoming a selective tool in the hands of America and the West in their arrogant pursuit of supremacy.

He added: Unfortunately, the countless warnings issued by leading international figures and various countries, including the Global South, on the need to return to international law based on universality, equality, and the rejection of force and discrimination have gone unheard. Today, even the rules-based order is scarcely mentioned, and we are instead witnessing efforts to construct a “force-based international order” by the United States and some of its allies.

Return to the law of the jungle.

The senior Iranian diplomat continued: The President of the United States entered the White House with the doctrine of “peace through strength.” It did not take long for it to become clear that this doctrine was merely an operational code and a cover for a new framework of action: “hegemony through force”—naked force. Araghchi added: What American officials openly declare today leaves no room for interpretation. The U.S. President clearly says that America no longer intends to act according to legitimate political considerations or within the framework of international law and merely wants to “win.”

This manifesto represents a hegemonic America and, in practice, a return to the law of the jungle.

If this is not the law of the jungle, then what is?

The Foreign Minister said: In this manifesto, the Secretary of Defense becomes the Secretary of War, and nuclear weapons testing is once again placed on the agenda. A president who calls himself a president of peace, arbitrarily and without any justification, attacks wherever he wants, orders the evacuation of cities, demands unconditional surrender, and violates and tears up all international laws, even the commitments of previous presidents.

Araghchi added: This reckless and brazen use of force and the ongoing assault on the foundations of international law—if it is not the law of the jungle, then what is? From any angle, this trend cannot and must not continue.

In the jungle America has created, there is no law.

He said: The latest published statistics show that global military spending is approaching the unprecedented figure of three trillion dollars, the highest growth in decades. In 2024 alone, more than seven percent of governments’ budgets were devoted to militarization, and projections for 2025 indicate at least ten percent. This increase affects all geographic regions of the world and will lead to only one result: more war, violence, and widespread tension. The reason is clear: in the jungle created by America, there is no law, and one must be strong to defend oneself.

The head of the diplomatic apparatus continued: As a result of this extreme militarization, today we are witnessing widespread geopolitical rifts, increasing great-power competition, expansion of missile programs and nuclear arsenals, weaponization of peaceful technologies including conventional telecommunications equipment, cross-border conflicts by regional middle powers, multilayered chaos in the international and regional order, and reduced economic, cultural, and even military convergence among states, and most importantly, the marginalization of diplomacy.

Shots fired at the Iran–U.S. negotiating table

He said: The truth is that when the Israeli regime attacked Iran on 23 Khordad (June 13) under the direction of the U.S. President, the first bombs were fired at the Iran–U.S. negotiating table—negotiations that had gone through five rounds, with the sixth scheduled for two days later, on 25 Khordad. Diplomacy was the first victim of the 12-day war.
Israel relying on Washington’s blank check and some European governments.

Araghchi stated: West Asia, as one of the most internationalized regions of the world, is the primary victim of this tragic situation, and its developments are directly influenced by these dangerous global trends. In fact, the developments of this region, especially over the past two years, are a complete reflection of these anti-peace and anti-international-law trends.

He continued: It is no secret how the Tel Aviv regime, as the agent and appendage of the United States in West Asia, has been pursuing its boundless and dangerous geopolitical ambitions by attacking the most basic foundations of international law. This regime, relying on Washington’s blank check and the support of some European governments, emboldened by billions of dollars of NATO and Western military equipment and the immunity provided to it in international forums, has committed the most heinous crimes against humanity, killings, massacres, genocide, and ethnic cleansing—and continues to do so.

No country is safe from Israel’s ambitions for military and security domination in West Asia.

The Foreign Minister said: Over the past two years, this regime has attacked seven countries, occupied new areas in other states including Lebanon and Syria, and shamelessly speaks of rewriting the regional order of West Asia and establishing a “Greater Israel.” It has now become an established fact that no country is safe from the Israeli regime’s ambitions for military and security hegemony in West Asia.
Israel ambushed diplomacy.

Araghchi noted: With this logic, and within the framework of its geopolitical delusions and ambitions, the Israeli regime—under the full command and direction of the United States, as the U.S. President recently admitted—on the night of 23 Khordad (June 13), only two days before the sixth round of nuclear talks in Muscat, ambushed diplomacy and the possibility of reaching an agreement through peaceful means.

He said: The aggression of the Zionist regime against Iranian territory, the martyrdom of several civilians, the assassination of commanders in their homes, and the targeting of peaceful nuclear facilities were not only blatant violations of the most fundamental principles of international law and repeated articles of the UN Charter, but a full-scale assault on the safeguards system and non-proliferation regime.

The Foreign Minister stated: On the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedy, the United States—through aggressive, reckless, and deeply irresponsible attacks on peaceful, IAEA-monitored nuclear sites in Iran—committed another crime, once again becoming the primary threat to global peace and security.

At the critical moment of war, we stand to the end

Araghchi said: The Islamic Republic of Iran, based on its inherent right of self-defense to protect its land and people against unlawful aggression, not only stopped the aggressors but, through the severe blows it dealt, demonstrated that although the Iranian nation is peace-loving, at the critical moment of war it will stand to the end and make the aggressor regret it.

Everyone saw how, within nine days, the message of “unconditional surrender” turned into a request for “unconditional ceasefire,” and how the initial delusions about the Iranian nation and state evaporated.

He added: The conduct of the Islamic Republic of Iran—as one of the founding members of the United Nations—has always been fully consistent with international law. Iran’s nuclear program is fundamentally anchored in our recognized rights under Article 4 of the NPT. Developing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, is an inalienable right of the Iranian nation—a right we have never abandoned. For years, Iran was under the most comprehensive verification regime of the IAEA and fully adhered to all technical commitments.

We complied with our JCPOA obligations.

The head of the diplomatic apparatus noted: After the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Islamic Republic of Iran fully complied with its JCPOA commitments and with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, as confirmed by 15 consecutive IAEA reports. It was the United States that unilaterally and without any justification withdrew from the agreement, not Iran. Had the U.S. remained committed to the JCPOA, we would be in a completely different situation today.

The inherent right of self-defense

He said: Iran’s response to the aggression of Israel and the United States was carried out strictly in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter—that is, the “inherent right of self-defense.” Our defensive operation was designed in adherence to the principles of necessity, proportionality, and distinction between military and civilian targets. Even in the midst of threat and aggression, Iran upheld international humanitarian law. Unlike the Israeli regime, which massacres hundreds of civilians at the slightest pretext, none of Iran’s actions targeted residential areas or civilians.

Araghchi noted: The Islamic Republic of Iran has shown that it always acts within the law during all crises and conflicts, while the aggressors have trampled the UN Charter, the non-proliferation regime, the principles of fairness, and even peremptory norms of international law in front of the entire world.

International law is still alive

He stated: International law, although under vicious assault, is still alive—provided that we all defend it. The challenges mentioned earlier also contain major opportunities: global and regional awareness of the perilous current state, and the collective global will toward inclusivity, demilitarization, and cooperation based on shared interests. We must all return to an approach grounded in humanity’s valuable achievements in legalism, rejection of force and aggression, and the advancement of the spirit of the UN Charter.

Araghchi stated: If today we do not stop the dangerous trend of lawlessness, extralegal behavior, and the use of naked force, we may all face far more bitter experiences in the future.

The world and the region stand at a crossroads between two discourses.

The Foreign Minister noted: The world and the region are today at a crossroads between two discourses: the discourse of domination, hegemony, supremacy, the use of force and securitization, militarization, war and violence—in short, the law of the jungle; and, on the other side, the global discourse based on law and universal international law, equality, convergence, dialogue, and peace within a collective framework. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in the second path and is ready to play its role in restoring the global order to a law-based order, in cooperation with the Global South and responsible governments.

Iran seeks a strong region based on shared understanding, fraternity, and peace

The head of the diplomatic apparatus added: In its surrounding region, Iran seeks a strong region based on shared understanding, fraternity, and peace. We need an inclusive approach rooted in utilizing all the region’s capacities.

He concluded: The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the security of regional countries as its own security and wants “sustainable trust” to be the foundation of a new environment in this region. We must all play our positive role in this region and establish a new doctrine for security, peace, prosperity, and convergence.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the Center for Political and International Studies, also said prior to Araghchi’s remarks: We are witnessing the most securitized era since World War II.

He announced that the Tehran Dialogue Forum will be held in Ordibehesht next year.

It is worth noting that the international conference “International Law Under Attack, Aggression and Defense” was held today (Sunday, 25 Aban) with the participation of Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with several senior political officials, leading scholars, prominent thinkers, and representatives of well-known think tanks from Iran and around the world in the field of diplomacy and international politics, at the Center for Political and International Studies of the Foreign Ministry.