Iran will respond firmly to acts of aggression - Iran Rep.

NEW YORK, June 13 (KUNA) -- Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, affirmed his country's right to "self-defense" on Friday, as stipulated in the UN Charter, threatening that "Iran will respond firmly and proportionately to acts of aggression at the time, place, and means of its choosing." Iravani told the UN Security Council's emergency session to discuss developments in Iran that "this is not a threat, but rather the natural, legal, and necessary consequence of an unjustified military attack." Iravani vowed, "Iran's response will be firm, legal, and necessary to restore deterrence, defend our sovereignty, and adhere to the principles of international law. No aggressor can act with impunity." The Iranian representative explained that his country requested this emergency session "because we expect this Council to fulfill its mandate under the Charter," calling on the Security Council to "condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal Israeli aggression." He stressed the need for immediate and concrete action to hold the Israeli regime accountable and "prevent further erosion of international peace and security," noting that any less action "will signal the collapse of the international order and invite chaos." Irawani concluded his remarks by saying, "silence is complicity in this crime," accusing the Israeli occupation of attacking his country and violating international law and the UN Charter.
It must be held accountable, and "the Security Council must act now and halt these aggressive acts immediately." For his part, McCoy Pitt, a senior official in the US State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs, described the Israeli occupation's action against Iran as "unilateral," explaining that his country "was informed of the strikes in advance but did not participate militarily in them." The US official emphasized that the United States will continue to seek a diplomatic solution that ensures that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon or pose a threat to stability in the Middle East. (Pickup previous) ast.mb