Iran on Wednesday called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter as the conflict with Israel continues.
Article 99 of the charter empowers the secretary general to bring to the Security Council’s attention any matter that may threaten international peace and security. The clause is rarely used and allows the UN chief to independently initiate action by the 15-member body in response to a potential crisis.
“Failure to act at this pivotal and perilous moment would constitute a profound abdication of the Security Council's responsibilities,” said a letter sent to the UN, seen by The National.
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Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, holds a press conference at the Pentagon after the US military struck three sites in Iran. AP -
A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows craters and ash on a ridge at the Fordow underground uranium enrichment following US air strikes. EPA -
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men look in shock at a building ruined in an Iranian missile strike in Haifa, Israel. Getty Images -
Cars damaged in Haifa. Getty Images -
Debris in Tel Aviv. Israel was hit by a wave of aerial attacks from Iran after the US entered the war overnight and bombed several Iranian nuclear sites. Getty Images -
Emergency workers search for survivors in the Ramat Aviv neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, after it was bombed. Getty Images -
Residential buildings destroyed at the site of an Iranian air strike in Ramat Aviv. Getty Images -
Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted over Tel Aviv. Reuters -
Israeli emergency teams at the site of an Iranian missile strike on a residential complex in Tel Aviv. EPA -
People look at a site bombed in Haifa. Reuters -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. Reuters -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. AFP -
A car hit by a missile launched from Iran, in Haifa. AFP -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. AFP -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. AFP -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. AFP -
Israeli emergency personnel at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike, in Haifa. AFP -
People gather outside a damaged building in Haifa. Reuters -
Israeli ambassador to the UN in Geneva addresses and emergency session. AFP -
Israelis flee an Iranian missile strike in the port city of Haifa. AP Photo -
An injured man is helped after an Iranian missile strike in Haifa. AP Photo -
A protester holds up a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a demonstration against Israeli attacks on Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo -
People take shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming Iranian strikes in Tel Aviv. AP Photo -
Smokes rises from Soroka Medical Centre, in Beersheba, southern Israel, after it was hit by an Iranian missile. AP -
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions from reporters. She said President Donald Trump would decide whether the US would join Israel’s war on Iran 'in the next two weeks'. AFP -
Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, in central Iran, after Israeli air strikes. Reuters -
People march in Times Square, New York, to call on President Trump not to go to war with Iran. AFP -
Israel's Iron Dome air defence system intercepts missiles fired from Iran over Tel Aviv. EPA -
Israelis shelter in an underground train station in Ramat Gan after a missile warning. Getty Images -
Israeli special forces check the remains of a suspected Iranian ballistic missile in northern Israel. Reuters -
Smoke rises after an Israeli attack in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Reuters -
A picture released by Iran's armed forces claims to show an Israeli drone shot down outside the central city of Isfahan. AP -
People take cover inside a cable car tunnel in Haifa after an Iranian missile attack. Reuters -
Israeli air defence systems fire at Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv. AFP -
Missiles are intercepted above Ashkelon, Israel. Reuters -
Smoke rises in Tehran. Reuters -
A building burns after strikes on the Israeli city of Herzliya, near Tel Aviv. AFP -
An Iranian missile causes an explosion in Tel Aviv. AP -
Rescuers sift through the remains of a damaged building in Tel Aviv after a barrage of Iranian rockets. AFP -
A wounded man is treated after an explosion in Tehran. AP
In December 2023, Mr Guterres invoked Article 99 for the first time during his tenure to warn of the global threat posed by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas. It was only the fourth formal invocation of the article in UN history, with the previous instance occurring in 1989.
Official UN documents describe Article 99 as having a preventive function, raising awareness at an international level that an already severe crisis could worsen.
Iran’s letter pointed to “mounting and undeniable evidence of direct United States involvement in this unlawful campaign of aggressive war”, listing in particular US President Donald Trump’s implied threat to assassinate supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“These reckless and inflammatory statements, especially when issued by the head of state of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, constitute a grave and flagrant violation of international law,” the letter reads.
When The National asked the UN for comment on the letter, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed its receipt, adding, 'No further comment on that.
Iran also requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, amid a “dangerously escalated situation”.
“The Security Council cannot remain a passive bystander,” it said.
Meanwhile, Mr Guterres expressed profound alarm over the escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and warned against any military interventions in the Middle East.
“I strongly appeal to all to avoid any further internationalisation of the conflict,” Mr Guterres said in a statement, repeating his call for a ceasefire. “Any additional military interventions could have enormous consequences, not only for those involved, but for the whole region and for international peace and security at large.”
He also condemned the “tragic and unnecessary loss of lives and injuries to civilians, and damage to homes and critical civilian infrastructure".
“Diplomacy remains the best and only way to address concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme and regional security issues,” Mr Guterres said.
