Diplomacy, The First Victim of the 12-Day War

Iran's Foreign Minister said: When the Israeli regime attacked Iran on June 13, on the orders of the US President, the first bombs were fired at the negotiating table.

News ID: 86902

Date: 16 November 2025 - 11:04

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, at the "International Law Under Assault: Aggression and Defense," international conference, stated: I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to be present and exchange views at this conference on the highly important subject of international law under attack.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs added: On the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, at a time when we expected to witness, more than ever, adherence to the principles and foundations of international law as universal virtues and the preservation of the achievements of the international community in this field, unfortunately, we are witnessing a full-scale assault on these principles by revisionist powers.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued: Today, we stand before a truth that can no longer be ignored or left unspoken: international law is under attack. The world is facing profoundly deep challenges, worrying trends, and unprecedented strategic changes at various levels.

He noted: The foundational pillars of international law are facing unprecedented attacks from powers that were expected to be its guardians, as the perennial claimants to the architecture of the post-World War II international order. Even the established normative structure after the founding of the UN has fallen into widespread chaos, to the extent that instead of "war and violence" being the exception and "peace and coexistence" the rule, violence and war have become a new norm in international relations, and the use of military tools has turned into a rule for advancing the foreign policy objectives of some countries.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: In practice, the rules-based order has been interpreted and construed based on the transient and seasonal intentions, objectives, plans, and interests of Western countries, often against international law, and has been placed in the most selective manner possible at the disposal of the intoxicated hegemony of America and the West.

He emphasized: Unfortunately, the countless warnings and admonitions by top-tier international figures and various countries, including the Global South, about the necessity of returning to an international law based on universality, equality, and the rejection of force and discrimination, have gone unheeded. This has reached a point where today, even talk of a rules-based order is scarce, and in practice, we are witnessing efforts to construct an "international order based on force" by the United States and some of its allies.

Araghchi added: The President of the United States came to the White House with the doctrine of "Peace Through Strength." It did not take long for it to become clear that this doctrine was, in essence, the operational code and a cover for a new framework of action: "Hegemony Through Force," and barefaced force at that.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued: What American officials repeatedly and unabashedly state today leaves no room for interpretation about this reality. The American President clearly says that America no longer wants to act on valid political considerations or within the framework of international law, and instead merely wants to "win." This is the manifesto of a hegemonic America and, in practice, a return to the law of the jungle.

He noted: In this manifesto, the Secretary of Defense turns into the Secretary of War, and nuclear weapons testing is back on the agenda. A president who calls himself the president of peace, arbitrarily and without any reason or justification, attacks wherever he wishes, orders the emptying of cities, demands unconditional surrender, and tramples and tears up all international laws and even the commitments of his predecessors. If this trend of barefaced and reckless use of force and continuous assault on the foundations of international law is not the law of the jungle, then what is? From any angle you look, this trend certainly cannot and should not continue.

Araghchi added: The latest published statistics indicate that the world's military budget has approached the unprecedented figure of $3 trillion, showing the highest growth in recent decades. In 2024 alone, on average, over 7% of government budgets were allocated to militarism, and estimates for 2025 are at least 10%.

This increase includes all geographical regions of the world and will have only one result: more war, violence, and pervasive tension. The reason is clear: in the jungle created by America, there is no law, and to defend yourself, you must be strong.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: As a result of this excessive militarism, today we witness widespread geopolitical fractures, increasing rivalries among major powers, the development of missiles and nuclear arsenals and offensive weapons, the weaponization of peaceful technologies such as ordinary telecommunications equipment, cross-border conflicts by regional middle powers, multi-layered chaos in the international and regional order, a reduction in economic, cultural, and even military convergence among countries, and most importantly, the marginalization of diplomacy.

He added: The truth is that when the Israeli regime, on the order and under the direction of the American President, attacked Iran on June 13, the first bombs were aimed at the Iran-America negotiation table, negotiations of which five rounds had been held and the sixth round was scheduled for two days later, on June 15. Diplomacy was the first casualty of the 12-day war.

He stated: The West Asia region, as one of the most internationalized regions in the world, is the main victim of this tragic situation, and the mentioned trends directly influence its developments. In fact, the developments in this region, especially over the past two years, are a perfect mirror of these dangerous trends that are anti-peace and anti-international law.

Araghchi added: It is no secret to anyone how the Tel Aviv regime, as an agent and appendage of the United States in the West Asia region, pursues its boundless and dangerous geopolitical ambitions by attacking the most elementary foundations of international law.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued: This regime relies on the blank check signed by Washington and, emboldened by billions of dollars in weapons and military equipment from NATO and the West and the immunity they have created for it in international forums, commits the most heinous crimes against humanity, including slaughter, murder, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

He noted: Over the past two years, this regime has attacked 7 countries, besides Palestine, has occupied new areas in other countries, including Lebanon and Syria, and shamelessly speaks of rewriting the order of West Asia and "Great Israel." Today, it has become a fact that no country is safe from the illusion of military and security domination by the Israeli regime in the West Asia region.

Araghchi added: Based on this same logic and within the framework of its own geopolitical illusions and aspirations, and on the complete order and direction of the United States, as that country's president recently admitted, in the midnight of June 13, just two days before the sixth round of nuclear negotiations in Muscat, it ambushed diplomacy and the possibility of reaching an agreement through peaceful means.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated: The Zionist regime's aggression against Iranian soil, martyring several civilians, assassinating commanders in their own residences, and targeting peaceful nuclear facilities, was not only a violation of the most elementary principles of international law and repeated articles of the UN Charter, but also a full-scale assault on the safeguards and non-proliferation regime.

He emphasized: The United States, on the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki catastrophe, by its aggressive, defiant, and deeply irresponsible attacks on Agency-supervised peaceful nuclear sites on Iranian soil, committed another crime and once again became the primary threat to global peace and security.

Araghchi added: Based on the right to legitimate defense of its territory and people against an illegitimate aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran not only stopped the aggressors but, by dealing heavy blows to the aggressor, demonstrated that although the Iranian nation is a peace-loving nation, at the critical moment of war, it stands firm until the end and makes the aggressor regret its action.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued: Everyone saw how, within 9 days, the message of "unconditional surrender" changed to a request for an "unconditional ceasefire," and the initial illusions about the Iranian nation and system vanished.

He noted: The conduct of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the founding members of the United Nations, has always been in accordance with international law. Iran's nuclear program is fundamentally based on our recognized rights under Article 4 of the NPT. The development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, is the inalienable right of the Iranian nation; a right from which we have never deviated. For years, Iran was fully under the most comprehensive verification regime of the Agency and adhered to all its technical commitments.

Araghchi added: After the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Islamic Republic of Iran fully adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, as 15 consecutive Agency reports confirm. It was the United States that unilaterally and without any reason withdrew from this agreement, not Iran. Had the United States remained committed to its JCPOA obligations, we would be in a completely different situation today.

He added: Iran's response to the aggression by Israel and America was carried out precisely based on Article 51 of the UN Charter, namely the "inherent right of self-defense." Our defensive operation was designed to observe the principles of necessity, proportionality, and distinction between military and civilian objectives.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs continued: Iran, even at the peak of threat and aggression, observed the norms of international humanitarian law. Unlike the Israeli regime, which on the slightest pretext massacres hundreds of civilians, none of Iran's actions targeted residential areas or civilians. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven that in all crises and conflicts, it follows the path of law; while the aggressors have trampled the UN Charter, the non-proliferation regime, the principles of fairness, and even the peremptory norms of international law before the eyes of the world.

Araghchi emphasized: International law, although the target of vicious attacks, is still alive, provided that all of us defend it. The challenges I mentioned earlier, of course, also contain great opportunities within themselves, including global and regional awareness of the current critical situation and the collective global will for inclusiveness, avoiding militarism, and cooperation based on collective interests.

He stressed: We must all return to an approach whose foundations are a return to humanity's valuable achievements in the rule of law, the prohibition of force and aggression, and the advancement of the nature of the UN Charter. If today the dangerous trend of law-breaking, extra-legal behaviors, and the use of bare force is not stopped, all of us may witness more bitter experiences in the future.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs added: The world and the region today stand at a crossroads, having to choose between two discourses: The discourse of domination, hegemony, and superiority, the use of force and securitization, militarism, war, and violence, in a word, the law of the jungle; or the global discourse based on law and universal international law, egalitarianism based on convergence, dialogue, and peace within a collective framework.

Araghchi stated: The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in the second path and is prepared to play its role in the path of returning the world order to a law-based order and in cooperation with the Global South and responsible governments. In its surrounding region, Iran seeks a strong region based on mutual understanding, fraternity, and peace. We need an inclusive approach based on utilizing all regional capacities.

He noted: The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the security of regional countries as its own security and wants "enduring trust" to be the basis and axis of the new atmosphere in this region. We must all play our positive role in this region and establish a new doctrine for security, peace, prosperity, and convergence.