In a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Jamal Fares Alrowaiei on April 28, Saeed Iravani said the US has unlawfully intercepted and seized two Iranian commercial vessels, identified as the M/T Majestic and M/T Tifani, and confiscated millions of barrels of oil.
He described the actions as a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter, stressing that such measures amount to aggression, threaten freedom of navigation, and set a dangerous precedent undermining the international legal order.
What follows is the text of the letter:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Excellencies,
Upon instructions from my Government, and further to my previous letter dated 21 April concerning the unlawful seizure of Iranian commercial vessels by the United States, I write to bring to the urgent attention of Your Excellency and the members of the Security Council the continuing internationally wrongful acts of the United States through yet another the piracy-style seizure and deliberate targeting of commercial vessels, namely the M/T Majestic and M/T Tifani. In this regard, I wish to draw attention to a recent public statement issued by a United States Attorney, which constitutes an explicit and deliberate admission of internationally wrongful conduct. In a social media post on 27 April, the U.S. Attorney boasted on the pirate-style seizure of two vessels, M/T Majestic and M/T Tifani, and the subsequent stealing of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian oil'.
The U.S. Attorney's statement clearly confirms that the United States armed forces have interdicted, boarded, and forcibly seized Iran's commercial vessels on the high seas, on the basis of their bullying attitude. Such conduct is nothing but another clear example of U.S. addiction to lawlessness and constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular Article 2(4). Moreover, the U.S.' actions fall squarely within the definition of an act of aggression under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974), which defines aggression as the use of armed force by a State against another State in contravention of the Charter, including, inter alia, attacks by the armed forces of a State against the marine fleet of another State. As a matter of fact, the United States has, through its own official confession, confirmed the use of armed force against vessels engaged in legitimate commercial activity.
These heinous, wrongful acts further violate established rules of international law governing the law of the sea, pose a direct threat to maritime safety and security, and escalate the volatile situation in the region. In substance and effect, such actions are identical to state-sponsored piracy and terrorism, carried out under the guise of domestic processes that have no standing under international law.
The invocation of domestic arrangements, which are illegal by nature, cannot, under any circumstances, justify such an abhorrent crime committed by the use of force. Such conduct amounts to unlawful coercion, interference with legitimate international commerce, and the illegal
seizure of property, while setting a dangerous precedent that severely undermines the rule of law at the international level.
The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically condemns and unequivocally rejects these acts of aggression and state-sponsored piracy. The United States bears full and undeniable international responsibility for all consequences arising from these unlawful actions, including their serious impact on international navigation, maritime safety, and regional and international peace and security. The Islamic Republic of Iran has every right, in accordance with international law, to counter these insolent actions. In light of the foregoing, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the Security Council to:
- Condemn in the strongest possible terms these acts of aggression, and reject the unlawful practice of enforcing unilateral coercive measures and their blatant inconsistency with the Charter of the United Nations and international law;
- Demand the United States immediately cease such illegal actions and the immediate and unconditional release of all seized vessels, cargo, and property; and
- Take urgent and concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such grave violations, which pose a direct threat to international peace and security, freedom of navigation, and the integrity of the international legal order.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as an official document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of my highest consideration.