Iran sends letter to UN over hostile remarks by NATO secretary general

Pars Today – Iran’s ambassador and chargé d’affaires to the United Nations has described remarks by the NATO secretary general as contrary to international law and the UN Charter in a letter to the UN secretary general and the Security Council.

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB, Iran’s UN ambassador, Gholamhossein Darzi, said in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s remarks concerning the extensive use of European military bases in support of US military action were, from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s perspective, inconsistent with obligations under international law.

In an interview on September 23, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech at a public event on the future of NATO that since February 28, 2026, “5,000 aircraft” had taken off from European bases in support of what he called “Operation Epic Fury.”

He said the figure was calculated only through mid-April, adding that the actual number after that date was “probably much higher.”

Iran’s ambassador and chargé d’affaires to the United Nations stressed: “Given the position of the speaker and the content of these remarks, they indicate the significant role of European territory and infrastructure in supporting US military actions against Iran. From the Islamic Republic of Iran’s perspective, this could give rise to the international responsibility of the states concerned, as well as the individual criminal responsibility of European officials involved in planning, preparing, facilitating or carrying out acts that constitute aggression and war crimes committed by the United States and the Israeli regime in Iran.”

Gholamhossein Darzi said: “These remarks are particularly significant in light of the evidence previously presented regarding the participation or assistance of certain European countries in the violations in question, as well as violations committed against the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2025. Therefore, the Security Council is expected, within the framework of its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, to examine the matter carefully and urgently.”