Iran warns regional states against allowing their territory to be used for US attacks

Iran on Saturday warned regional countries against allowing their territory or facilities to be used for US attacks on Iran, while accusing Washington of violating the June 18 war-ending memorandum by continuing military operations.

In a statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the US of maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports and commercial shipping, carrying out attacks across Iran, intensifying economic pressure and issuing unlawful threats.

The ministry argued that the continued naval blockade constitutes an "act of aggression" under the UN General Assembly's 1974 Definition of Aggression resolution. It said the blockade, together with attacks on military and civilian targets, infrastructure and Iranian citizens inside and outside Iran, including in Iraq, violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.

It said Iran would continue to exercise its "inherent right to self-defense" against ongoing US-Israeli aggression.

The statement further argued that US actions over the past 15 months amounted to a threat to international peace and security, a breach of international peace and security, and an act of aggression under Article 39 of the UN Charter.

- UN must take effective action against US-Israeli aggression

It criticized the UN Security Council for failing to take effective action against US and Israeli aggression, drawing parallels with its response during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. It also criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, saying he had issued only "ambiguous" statements.

The ministry said Washington had initially justified military action by claiming it sought to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while also citing an "imminent Iranian threat" and "preemptive defense of Israel." It rejected those justifications, saying the real motive behind the US-Israeli campaign was Iran's insistence on preserving its independence and national sovereignty.

According to the statement, the latest US military campaign against Iran began on July 8, during the funeral ceremonies for Iran's late supreme leader, following what Tehran described as alleged incidents involving three commercial vessels transiting the southern shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministry rejected the US justification for the attacks, saying no evidence had been presented linking Iran to the incidents involving the three ships.

It accused Washington of using those incidents as a pretext to abandon the war-ending memorandum, revoke licenses permitting Iranian oil exports and restore the naval blockade.

The statement alleged that the three vessels had deliberately been directed through what it described as an unauthorized and unsafe southern shipping lane despite provisions in the June 18 memorandum assigning future management of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran.

It further claimed that repeated US efforts to route commercial vessels through the southern corridor were intended both to undermine the memorandum and to conceal military activities.

According to the ministry, Iranian forces observed multiple instances between June 26 and July 8 in which US naval vessels sailed alongside large oil and liquefied natural gas tankers. It also accused the US military of using commercial ships to transport military personnel, equipment and weapons.

The statement said a US Central Command warship transited the southern route alongside a large LNG carrier on July 8, describing the move as dangerous for commercial navigation and as evidence that Washington intended to exploit the memorandum to prepare hostile actions against Iran.

- No hostility toward neighboring countries

The ministry reiterated that Iran has no hostility toward neighboring countries and seeks friendly relations with all southern Gulf states based on mutual respect and good neighborliness. It warned, however, that governments allowing US or Israeli forces to use their territory or facilities to launch attacks against Iran bear legal, religious and moral responsibility.

Referring to the UN definition of aggression, the ministry argued that Iranian retaliatory strikes against the origin of US attacks should not be portrayed as attacks against the countries from which those attacks were launched.

The statement concluded by saying Iran would continue defending its sovereignty, national interests and independence with the support of its armed forces, diplomacy and regional solidarity, describing the conflict as not only a defense of Iran but also of international law and shared humanitarian values against what it called the US-Israeli coalition.