US and Israel to blame for starting war, Iran tells UN
'We officially request hereby that the Security Council recognise the Israeli regime and the United States as the initiators of the act of aggression and acknowledge their subsequent responsibility, including the payment of compensation and reparations,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in the letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The United States joined Israel in its campaign during the war, carrying out strikes on three key facilities used for Iran's atomic programme.
Trump has threatened further strikes should Iran enrich uranium to levels capable of manufacturing nuclear weapons.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent in 2021, well above the 3.67 percent limit set by a 2015 agreement from which the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018.
Abbas Araghchi speaks during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva. File/AP
To make a weapon, Iran would need to enrich uranium up to 90 percent.
Israel has maintained ambiguity about its own atomic arsenal, neither officially confirming nor denying it exists, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has estimated it has 90 nuclear warheads.
According to Iran's health ministry, at least 627 civilians were killed and 4,900 injured during the 12-day war with Israel.
Retaliatory missile attacks by Iran on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli authorities.
Iran on Sunday said it was not convinced Israel would abide by a ceasefire that ended their 12-day war this week.
The most serious escalation to date between the arch-foes erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that killed top military commanders and scientists linked to its disputed nuclear programme.
Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, at UN headquarters in New York City. File/Reuters
Israel said its aim was to keep the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied, insisting it has the right to develop nuclear power for civilian purposes like energy.
The fighting derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, a staunch ally of Israel's.
'We did not start the war, but we have responded to the aggressor with all our power,' Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi, was quoted as saying by state television, referring to Israel.
'We have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with force' if attacked again, he added, six days into the ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump.
Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying on Sunday, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme have been.
US officials have stated that their strikes obliterated key nuclear sites in Iran, although Trump said on Friday he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels.
Antonio Guterres speaks during a press briefing at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. File/AFP
'The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,' Grossi told CBS News in an interview.
'Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,' he added, according to the transcript of an interview on 'Face the Nation' with Margaret Brennan due to air on Sunday.
Saying it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons, Israel launched attacks on Iran earlier this month, igniting a 12-day air war that the US eventually joined. Grossi, who heads the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said the strikes on sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan had significantly set back Iran's ability to convert and enrich uranium.
However, Western powers stress that Iran's nuclear advances provide it with an irreversible knowledge gain, suggesting that while losing experts or facilities may slow progress, the advances are permanent.
Berlin urged Iran on Sunday to stop making 'threats' against the UN's nuclear watchdog after Tehran rejected its request to visit nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States.
Tehran has accused Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, of 'betrayal of his duties' for not condemning the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, and Iranian lawmakers this week voted to suspend cooperation with the agency.
'I commend director general Grossi and his team for their efforts and their unrelenting professionalism. Threats against them from within Iran are deeply troubling and must stop,' German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on X, without specifying further.
Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
UK academic body accused of trying to force Palestinian scholar into Israeli court system
A Palestinian-American academic is taking his British employer to court after it attempted to force him to sue the organisation for wrongful dismissal in Israel instead of the UK. In 2023, the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) Kenyon Institute in East Jerusalem fired Toufic Haddad, a leading scholar in Palestine Studies, who was employed as the institute's director, citing funding cuts from the British Academy. Haddad believes the CBRL unfairly dismissed him because of political discrimination linked to his scholarly work and public position on Palestine, where he has opposed Israel's war on Gaza and its ongoing clampdown against Palestinian academics. He noted that these actions came in the wake of the 7 October attacks, when trustees of the CBRL called on Haddad to "maintain a low profile and not talk to the media". Following his dismissal, the CBRL, a UK-registered academic institute publicly funded by the British Academy and British government and based in London, attempted to block Haddad's unfair dismissal claims by insisting that an Israeli court hear his claim instead of a British one. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Haddad's legal team is contesting the move to hear his case in Israel by providing a 50-page witness statement, backed by more than 3,000 pages of evidence, to prove that his employment is more closely connected to the UK than to Israel. The CBRL, which has an office in Jordan, is not a registered entity in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories from where it operates. However, when they decided to hire Haddad, they gave him an Israeli contract despite giving British contracts to its other directors in Amman. Unfair dismissal claim Haddad is now attempting to take the CBRL to a British court for unfair dismissal and discrimination based on his anti-Zionist political beliefs and trying to deny jurisdiction to UK courts in favour of Israel. He is contesting the move to try his case in Israel over concerns that Israel's legal system - which rights groups have criticised for being discriminatory towards Palestinians - will not give him a fair hearing because of his Palestinian background. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me' - Toufic Haddad Since 1967, Israel has illegally occupied East Jerusalem and imposed a military occupation that is deemed illegal under international law. Unlike Israeli citizens, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are issued permanent residency cards by the Israeli state but not full citizenship. These residency cards can be revoked at any given time by Israel, making their legal status precarious. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me," Haddad told Middle East Eye. "What happened to me exposes rotten interests and instincts within CBRL, British academia and its funding structures, which questions their commitment to academic freedom, labour rights, and human decency.' The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the University and Colleges Union (UCU) are supporting Haddad's case. British institutions 'complicit' Tasnima Uddin, a spokesperson for the ELSC, said the case "lays bare the complicity of British institutions still operating in Palestine today. UK police arrest Israeli academic Haim Bresheeth after pro-Palestine speech Read More » "CBRL is trying to silence a Palestine academic; it is asking a British court to hand him over to Israel's apartheid legal system, legitimising annexation and racial domination that the International Court of Justice has ruled illegal." Sean Wallis, who serves as the London region secretary for the UCU, said Haddad's case represents a wider issue on worker's rights for academic staff employed at British research institutes and universities overseas. "The British government says that academic freedom is essential for universities, and the British academy trumpets its defence of academic freedom," said Wallis. "Dr Haddad was dismissed, and the research institute he was the director of was shut down because he spoke out about his area of research, which is Palestine studies. "So it is shocking to see a British Academy-backed research institute engaging lawyers to prevent Dr Haddad exercising his right to argue his case in the UK courts."
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Africa: Coalition commits to Action Plan to increase private investment mobilization for developing countries by end of 2027
A coalition of governments, international development partners and private sector groups including the UN Capital Development Fund, UN Economic Commission for Africa, African Union Commission, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Norad, Switzerland SECO and Convergence Blended Finance, are announcing the development of an Action Plan to increase mobilize private sector capital at scale in developing countries. The Action Plan, announced at the Fourth Financing for Development Conference (FFD4) in Seville, Spain, seeks to tackle poverty, economic growth and climate risks by deploying public sector resources through blended finance to mobilize private investment in underserved markets, which, over the last decade, has remained weak even as global wealth has ballooned. The Action Plan will include a dedicated Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Africa-focused track to advance context-specific blended finance approaches and support scalable investment opportunities in key sectors. FFD4 is a once-in-a-decade gathering of development partners seeking to build a renewed global financing framework to urgently unlock greater volumes of capital to close the financing gap of developing countries. Government-sourced Official Development Assistance (ODA) declined last year by over 7% compared with 2023, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), one of the co-proposers of the Action Plan. 'The world has the resources - the money we need – to eradicate poverty and ensure every person can live a life free from poverty. Much of those resources lie with the private sector in the world's most developed nations and they will likely remain there until the real and perceived risks that act as a barrier to investment in underserved markets are tackled head-on,' said Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Executive Secretary of the UN Capital Development Fund, which provides catalytic and blended finance solutions for underserved markets. 'Blended finance models that are tailored to country needs have the potential to de-risk markets, plug the international development finance gap and transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people living in the world's underserved markets and Least Developed Countries,' Mr Kurukulasuriya added. 'Bridging Africa's investment gap demands bold, coordinated action. This Action Plan marks a turning point, a practical blueprint to shift global capital toward sustainable development in countries that need it most. The UN Economic Commission for Africa is committed to ensuring that Africa is not only part of the conversation, but central to the solution' added Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa. 'As traditional streams of overseas development assistance dry up, more people than ever are talking about the promise of blended finance,' shared Joan Larrea, Chief Executive Office of Convergence. 'At FFD4, with this joint proposal, we have made a significant step towards making that promise a reality.' 'Norway is proud to collaborate with this global coalition on developing the Action Plan to mobilize private investment for sustainable development. Addressing the financing gaps in Least Developed Countries and underserved markets is critical to tackling poverty, hunger, and climate challenges. By leveraging blended finance and fostering innovative partnerships, we aim to contribute to transformative change and create a foundation for equitable and inclusive growth,' said Åsmund Aukrust, Norway's Minister of Development. "Mobilization of private capital for financing sustainable development is an integral part of Finland's foreign and development policy', says Ville Tavio, Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade and Development. 'Financing for Development Conference will increase the clarity and formality of private capital mobilization as part of the financing sustainable development for the next decade. We believe that developing a common action plan and standardizing the proven blended finance models will help us scale up private capital mobilization to deliver on the commitments agreed here in Seville.' While global assets have doubled to $482 trillion over the last decade, private sector investment to and within low- and middle-income countries has remained stubbornly weak. Only 5% of those global assets are invested in developing countries, excluding China, according to the Financial Stability Board, an international body that monitors the global financial system. Of that 5%, only a tiny proportion reaches the most underserved markets and the world's 44 Least Developed Countries, which are collectively home to some 880 million people. The world stands at a crossroads for financing sustainable development with an estimated annual financing gap of $4 trillion - up from $2.5 trillion pre-pandemic. The OECD reports that all 'official development finance' activity mobilized an average of $57 billion in private investment annually over the last five years – just 1% of the $6-7 trillion needed each year if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be met. At the same time, domestic financial resources in developing countries are insufficient and cross-border private investment flows from developed to developing countries has been low over the past decade. Blended finance has the potential to transform private investment flows and positively contribute to the FfD4 Outcome Document mobilization objectives and to the SDGs. Signatories of the Joint Initiative have committed to develop an 'effective, efficient, fair and practical action plan' through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026 to identify how to use a blend of public sector and philanthropic resources to mobilize and crowd-in larger amounts of private sector finance for development results at scale. The Action Plan will describe practical measures to mobilize private investment using standardized and replicable blended finance models tailored to country contexts, with an emphasis on alignment with national priorities and global development goals with the following measurable results: At least 16 OECD DAC countries will agree to or endorse the Action Plan by March 31, 2026. At least 27 African countries and 27 non-African developing countries will also endorse the Action Plan by the same date. At least 16 developed and 54 developing countries will commit to implementing the plan starting June 30, 2026. The Action Plan is one of a series being submitted to conference organisers that seek to turn the objectives outlined in the FFD4 outcome document into a pathway for action. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Trump says he will discuss Gaza and Iran during Netanyahu visit
President Donald Trump has told reporters that he will discuss the situations in Gaza and Iran when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. "We hope [a ceasefire] is going to happen and we're looking for it to happen sometime next week," he said on Tuesday. "We want to get our hostages back."
