Assassination of Dr. Kharrazi Represents Deliberate Criminal Pattern to Silence Peace Advocates - Iran envoy to UN

ABNA24 - Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, strongly condemned the assassination of senior Iranian diplomat Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, stating that the act reflects a deliberate pattern of criminal conduct aimed at silencing advocates of peaceful engagement and systematically undermining diplomatic pathways.The full text of the letter is as follows:
 
Your Excellency,
 
With profound regret and deep sorrow, I wish to bring to your attention and to the members of the Security Council the following:
 
In continuation of war crimes committed by the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran, this regime has once again committed a heinous, terrorist, and horrific crime by carrying out the cowardly assassination of Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, a distinguished Iranian diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and as our Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
 
Dr. Kharrazi passed away on 9 April 2026 due to severe injuries resulting from state terrorism by the Israeli regime. On 1 April 2026, the Israeli regime attacked his residence in Tehran, causing severe injuries to Dr. Kharrazi and leading to the martyrdom of his wife. This attack constitutes a clear instance of a deliberate terrorist act against a civilian residence and the targeted killing of a prominent civilian figure, representing a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and in particular, the right to life.
 
Throughout his distinguished career — as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2005, and as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations from 1989 to 1997 — Dr. Kharrazi remained deeply committed to the promotion of multilateralism. Alongside his academic pursuits as a university professor, he played a vital role in advancing peace, notably through his consistent participation in the annual "Leaders for Peace" conference in Paris. Throughout his professional life, he demonstrated unwavering dedication to international law, the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and multilateral diplomacy — particularly the peaceful settlement of disputes as a cornerstone of international peace and security.
 
Accordingly, his assassination not only constitutes the unlawful deprivation of a civilian’s life in grave breach of international law but also represents an attack on diplomacy itself and on the very foundations of peaceful international engagement.
 
The assassination of this prominent diplomat by the Israeli regime once again reveals the reality that this aggressor and terrorist regime perceives any voice at the regional or international level advocating peace, dialogue, and diplomacy as being in conflict with its own unlawful, destructive, and destabilizing objectives. This act further demonstrates a deliberate pattern of criminal conduct aimed at silencing proponents of peaceful engagement and systematically undermining diplomatic paths.
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest possible terms this heinous terrorist act, which was perpetrated with the complicity and support of the United States of America.
 
This terrorist crime is part of a broader pattern of systematic and widespread attacks against Iranian civilians, civilian property, and senior civilian officials within the framework of an aggressive war that began on 28 February 2026.
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran affirms that the Israeli regime and the United States of America bear full international legal responsibility for this internationally wrongful act.
 
I would be grateful should you kindly instruct that the present communication be circulated to the members of the Security Council and issued as an official document of the Security Council.

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