“If force is placed above the law...”: Sensational statement from the Iranian Foreign Minister

14 November 2026, 20:322 min read2

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi published a special article for Japan's influential Kyodo News agency. In his statement, he provided a deep analysis of US and Israeli military actions against Iran from the perspective of international law and the UN Charter, focusing on global security issues.

International law and the danger of preemptive strikes

The Minister emphasized that the most important principle of the international order established after World War II is the strict limitation of force by law. No state has the right to place its interests above the mandatory rules of international law.

Araghchi specifically highlighted the following points:

The danger of preemptive strikes: If states are allowed to attack each other under the pretext of potential future threats, the entire international legal system will collapse. Under such conditions, the security of no country will remain guaranteed.
Violation of the UN Charter: The strikes carried out by the US and Israel were conducted without the authorization of the UN Security Council, which is in direct violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits aggression against state sovereignty.
Right to self-defense: It was noted that Tehran reserves the right to legally defend itself in response to any armed attack in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Key directions of the statement	Main principles and goals
Limiting the use of force	Limiting force by law is essential to maintain international order
Legal accountability	Stopping illegal military actions and paying reparations is an obligation
Global security	This issue concerns not only Iran but the stability of the entire world

Accountability and the obligation to pay reparations

The Iranian Foreign Minister firmly emphasized that immediately stopping illegal military actions and paying reparations for damages caused is not a political favor, but a strict legal obligation. According to him, this problem is not only related to Iran's interests but to the issue of maintaining the rule of international law throughout the world.

This article is causing widespread discussion in the international community and diplomatic circles.

In your opinion, in the current geopolitical situation, are international organizations and the UN able to exert enough influence to prevent military conflicts between states? Leave your opinion in the comments!