Iran addresses Trump bombing threat at UN Security Council

Tehran has urged international action against the US president’s “reckless and belligerent” remarks

Iran has lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council over US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action, branding his remarks “reckless and belligerent.”

Trump recently threatened Iran with bombing strikes “the likes of which it has never seen” if it does not accept a nuclear deal. The Iranian leadership condemned the statement and vowed retaliation if attacked.

In a letter to the Security Council on Monday, Iranian UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused the US of committing an “egregious violation of international law.”

Tehran “strongly warns against any military adventurism and will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime, against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests,” the letter read.

The document also urged the international body to “fulfil its responsibility under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security” and to “unequivocally condemn” the US threats.

Read more

In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, Trump threatened to attack Iran if it does not accept a deal to wind down its nuclear program.

“If they don’t make a deal there will be bombing. And it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” he was quoted as saying.

The escalating rhetoric follows years of tension over Tehran’s nuclear program. During his first presidential term, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an international agreement to scale down the Iranian nuclear program in return for the easing of international sanctions. Following the US withdrawal and resumed sanctions, Iran reportedly reduced its compliance with the agreement.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in December that Iran was ramping up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity and expressed concern. The material needs to be around 90% enriched to be considered weapons-grade.

Iran has long insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful and legal under “international frameworks.”

READ MORE: Iranian MP calls for nuclear bombs

In early March, Trump said he sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggesting that talks on the deal be resumed and specifying that he was giving Iran two months to comply.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded by calling on Washington to first rebuild trust with Tehran. During a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Pezeshkian refused direct talks but said “the path of indirect negotiations is open.”