Iran accuses US of breaching Islamabad MoU in letter to UN

WASHINGTON: Iran has written to the United Nations accusing the United States of violating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which was meant to help end the conflict, and of committing war crimes.

Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, conveyed the allegations in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council. In the letter, he said Washington had not abided by the agreement after it was signed and had instead worked against it.

In the letter, Iravani wrote:

Almost immediately after the signing of the Memorandum, and continuing to the present day, the United States has not only failed to honor its commitments but has actively and systematically undermined the very foundations of the Memorandum.

The letter listed what Iran described as violations by the US, including renewed military strikes on Iranian territory, the cancellation of licences for Iranian oil sales, the creation of a parallel maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, and continued US backing for Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

Iravani said these steps endangered international peace and security and showed what he described as Washington's disregard for its legal obligations under international law. He wrote:

These deliberate, calculated, and sustained actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further demonstrate the United States' complete disregard for its international legal obligations.

Iran seeks Security Council action

Iravani said Iran had formally presented each alleged violation to mediators, but the US had continued what he called an escalation of unlawful conduct.

He also said the war on Iran that began on Feb. 28 amounted to unprovoked aggression by the US and Israel in breach of the UN Charter. The letter said those actions had included numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Iravani urged the Security Council to take what he called immediate, effective and decisive steps to force Washington to stop its ongoing unlawful acts against Iran.

Tensions between the US and Iran have intensified in recent days over the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides exchanging attacks despite a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict and lead to a lasting peace arrangement.