Merve Aydogan
20 February 2026•Update: 20 February 2026
HAMILTON, Canada
Iran's permanent mission to the UN warned that Iran will respond "decisively and proportionately" to any military aggression, stressing that the United States would bear "full and direct responsibility" for the consequences, according to a letter obtained Thursday by Anadolu.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly stated at the highest level that it neither seeks tension nor war and will not initiate any war," it said in the letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidency of the UN Security Council.
"However, in the event that it is subjected to military aggression, Iran will respond decisively and proportionately in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations," it added.
The mission warned that "all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response," stressing that "the United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences."
The letter cited a Feb. 18 social media post by US President Donald Trump that was described as "an explicit public threat of the use of force" against Iran, referencing the potential use of military facilities in Diego Garcia and the RAF Fairford base in England.
Urging immediate action by the UN, the letter said: "The Security Council and the Secretary-General must act without delay, before it is too late."
Iran described US threats as signaling "a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would constitute a grave threat to international peace and security."
Reaffirming its commitment to diplomacy, Iran's UN mission expressed full commitment "to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to diplomatic solutions" and has engaged "constructively, with seriousness and in good faith, in nuclear talks with the Government of the United States."
