Iran accused U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday of encouraging political destabilization, inciting violence, and threatening Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani wrote in a letter addressed to the U.N. Security Council, according to Reuters.
Iravani wrote that the letter was also sent to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Reuters reported.
In the letter, Iravani said the United States and what he called “the Israeli regime” bear direct legal responsibility for any resulting loss of innocent civilian lives, particularly among young people, Reuters reported.
Iravani said he was responding to a Trump social media post issued earlier Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Trump used his Truth Social account to urge Iranians to keep protesting and to keep up pressure on the government, Reuters reported.
Trump told protesters to “take over” government institutions and to preserve the names of officials involved in the crackdown so they could be held accountable later, Axios and the Financial Times reported.
Trump also told Iranians that “help is on its way,” Reuters reported, without specifying whether he meant diplomatic, economic, cyber, or military support.
Iran’s complaint framed that message as an invitation to escalate unrest and as outside interference in a sovereign state’s internal affairs, Reuters reported.
The Iranian letter landed as Iran’s leadership pressed a widening crackdown on what Reuters described as the biggest demonstrations in years.
Reuters reported that rights groups have described large-scale arrests and significant casualties, while Iranian officials have offered their own, different tallies.
Trump’s post also warned Iranian authorities against executing detained protesters, with Reuters reporting that Trump threatened “very strong action” if hangings go forward.
The Financial Times reported that Trump’s warning about executions came alongside his decision to halt meetings with Iranian officials until the killing of protesters stops.
Reuters reported that Trump has also been leaning on economic pressure, including announcing a 25% import tariff on goods from any country that does business with Iran.
Iran has repeatedly rejected U.S. claims that Washington is merely supporting human rights, arguing instead that American statements are designed to destabilize the Islamic Republic, according to Reuters reporting on Tehran’s U.N. messaging.
Iravani’s letter sought to place legal blame in advance for any bloodshed that Iranian officials might attribute to foreign encouragement, Reuters reported.
Iran’s decision to elevate the dispute to the Security Council signaled an effort to build an international record portraying Trump’s rhetoric as a threat to peace and security, diplomats told Reuters in related coverage.
Russia added to the pressure on Washington on Tuesday, with Reuters reporting that Moscow called U.S. strike threats “categorically unacceptable” and warned against what it described as external interference in Iran.
U.N. human rights officials also urged restraint, with Reuters reporting that the U.N. rights office said it was alarmed by reports of lethal force against demonstrators and warned against the death penalty for detainees.
Iran’s letter, Trump’s calls for protesters to seize or take over institutions, and Trump’s warning against hangings have combined to push the standoff into the U.N. arena as Tehran and Washington trade escalating accusations over where the protests are headed, Reuters reported.
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