Iran has urged the United Nations to respond to what it described as “reckless” and unlawful threats from United States President Donald Trump amid ongoing protests across the country.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, wrote on Friday to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council, calling on them to condemn what he described as “unlawful threats” directed at Tehran.
The letter was sent hours after Trump said the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if more protesters were killed during demonstrations over rising living costs.
Iravani urged the UN leadership and Security Council members to “unequivocally and firmly condemn” Trump’s “reckless and provocative statements”, saying they constituted a “serious violation” of the UN Charter and international law.
“Any attempt to incite, encourage or legitimise internal unrest as a pretext for external pressure or military intervention is a gross violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iravani said in the letter, which was published in full by the IRNA state news agency.
The letter added that Iran’s government “reiterates its inherent right to defend its sovereignty” and that it will “exercise its rights in a decisive and proportionate manner”.
“The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these illegal threats and any subsequent escalation of tensions,” Iravani added.
IRNA reported that protests continued across Iran on Friday, with gatherings in Qom, Marvdasht, Yasuj, Mashhad and Hamedan, as well as in the Tehran neighbourhoods of Tehranpars and Khak Sefid.
The demonstrations began after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike on Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, before spreading nationwide.
At least 9 people have been killed and 44 arrested during the unrest. The deputy governor of Qom province said another person died after a grenade exploded in his hand, describing the incident as an attempt to incite unrest.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue”.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Ali Larijani, warned that US interference “is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests”.
Iran’s economic challenges include a collapsing currency, high inflation and years of severe drought affecting Tehran, a city of about 10 million people, compounding multiple crises.
Iranian leaders have struck a more conciliatory tone than in past protests. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government was at “fault” and promised solutions, a response observers say contrasts with earlier crackdowns.
Tensions remain high following a 12-day escalation between Israel and Iran in June, during which the US bombed 3 Iranian nuclear sites. Trump described the strikes as a “very successful attack”.
Last week, speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the US would “knock the hell out” of Iran if it advanced its nuclear or ballistic weapons programmes, as Israel pushes to resume attacks.
Pezeshkian has pledged a “severe” response to any aggression against Iran.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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