Iran calls on UN member states to condemn US ‘unilateral coercive measures’

Iran has called on member states of the United Nations to reject and condemn the extraterritorial application of US unilateral coercive measures, warning that Washington is seeking to force other states to subordinate their sovereign rights and lawful policies to its demands.

Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran’s deputy UN ambassador, made the appeal at a Security Council session on conflict and food security, a day after the US Treasury announced a new campaign of “economic terrorism” against Iran.

Darzi said the latest measures, together with US actions against Iranian commercial shipping, amount to an effort to impose an economic blockade on Iran and sharply condemned Washington for using trade, food and energy as instruments of pressure.

“We call on all states to reject and denounce the extraterritorial application of unilateral coercive measures by the United States regime,” Darzi said.

He referred to the measures announced on Aug. 24 by the US Treasury secretary as the “so-called Operation Economic Outcast,” saying the "unlawful measures ... are seeking to impose an economic blockade on brave Iranian people”. 

US launches new ‘economic terrorism’ campaign against Iran

The United States has unveiled a new wave of illegal sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran under the so-called “Operation Economic Outcast.”

He hit out at Washington for “weaponizing food, energy, trade and access to essential goods as instruments of pressure and warfare,” and said they cannot be justified under the pretext of security or freedom of navigation.

The Iranian envoy said the US measures violate fundamental principles including sovereign equality, non-intervention and freedom of navigation, while also seeking to circumvent responsibilities entrusted to the Security Council under the UN Charter.

Shipping and Strait of Hormuz

Darzi linked the economic campaign to a wider US maritime confrontation with Iran, saying Washington has demonstrated an “utter disregard for international law.”

“The US maritime blockade of Iran, and attacks on Iranian commercial vessels in international waters constitute grave violations of Iran’s sovereignty, freedom of navigation and international law of the sea,” he said.

He cited a US Central Command statement from Aug. 12 saying American forces had redirected 59 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two.

Darzi identified “the root cause of instability and disruptions to maritime trade and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz” as “the US-Israeli regime war of aggression against Iran in flagrant violation of the UN Charter and international law.”

“Prior to this aggression, commercial navigation through the strait proceeded without disruption,” he said.

The United States and Israel launched an unlawful war against Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, which Darzi said has caused grave consequences for regional and international peace and security.

The attack, he said, resulted in the assassination and martyrdom of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, several senior Iranian officials and more than 3,400 civilians, including hundreds of women and children.

He also cited the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed on June 17, saying it expressly required the United States to refrain from threatening or using force against Iran.

Darzi said Washington breached the agreement by launching another military offensive beginning on June 27, which he said killed more than 60 civilians and injured more than 630.

He said airports, bridges, transportation infrastructure, vessels, search-and-rescue facilities and meteorological installations were deliberately targeted.

The Iranian envoy said countries that assist military operations by providing bases, logistical or intelligence support or access to their airspace could also bear responsibility under international law.

Iran, Darzi said, reserves the right to pursue accountability, reparation and redress over what it considers unlawful acts and reaffirmed Tehran’s inherent right to self-defense. 

“Iran’s measures are lawful and defensive in nature,” he said. 

“As a coastal state to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has a legitimate right under international law to take necessary measures in response to aggression against its territory and sovereignty. Claims to the contrary have no legal basis.”

He said lasting peace, regional stability and safe navigation require an end to aggression, respect for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the lifting of the blockade and unilateral coercive measures, and credible guarantees against renewed aggression.

“Any arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz can only be established, regulated and managed by its littoral states, namely Iran and Oman.”

Darzi warned the Security Council against allowing what Iran considers unlawful US measures to become an accepted precedent.

“What is at stake is the integrity of international law,” he said. “If such unlawful acts are allowed to go unchallenged, it would set a dangerous precedent.”

Darzi also used the Security Council session to state that hunger and food insecurity cannot be separated from the conflicts and coercive measures that produce them.

“Armed conflict remains a major driver of hunger and food insecurity, which cannot be addressed without confronting its root causes,” he said, citing aggression, occupation, unlawful coercive measures and deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure.

He condemned Israel’s grave violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, including the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, starvation and systematic obstruction of humanitarian assistance.

Darzi cited Security Council Resolution 2417, which condemns starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the denial of humanitarian access, and criticized the council of repeatedly failing to ensure accountability because of political protection and obstruction by the United States.

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