Iranian Foreign Minister Criticises UN: Don’t Just Worry About the Global Economy—Look at the Hundreds of Civilians Massacred

The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi launched a sharp rebuke of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his response to the United States and Israel’s military aggression against Iran. Araghchi urged the UN to stop focusing on the global economic repercussions and to begin caring for the hundreds of civilian lives lost. Through a post on his X account on Saturday (7 March), Araghchi responded to Guterres’ statements expressing concern about the ‘large risk to the global economy’ amid the tensions. Araghchi insisted that the current situation is not merely a ‘battle’, but an ‘unprovoked aggression’ launched by two nuclear-armed regimes against Iran. ‘Mr Secretary-General, let us be honest. This is not just a ’battle’; this is an ‘unprovoked aggression’ launched by two nuclear-armed regimes against Iran,’ Araghchi said. In his statement, Araghchi revealed heartbreaking data about civilian casualties during the seven days of US-Israel airstrikes. He singled out the massacre in Minab where 175 children, whom he described as ‘little angels’, were killed as they attended their schools. ‘You worry about the ’large risk to the global economy’; what about the innocent civilians, including 175 little angels massacred in Minab?’ he added. Araghchi also revealed that the attack occurred while Iran was engaged in ‘serious diplomatic negotiations’. He urged the UN to assume legal and moral responsibility for the illegal war sparked by the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. So far, the Iranian military has continued large-scale retaliatory strikes using missiles and drones against US and Israeli assets in the occupied territories and regional bases in response to the aggression. The Prima tanker was hit by an Iranian kamikaze drone in the Hormuz Strait on 7 March after ignoring warnings from the IRGC amid an eight-day total blockade of the world energy corridor. The PBS News/NPR/Marist poll shows 56% of Americans oppose Donald Trump’s military action against Iran amid sharp divisions in Congress. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged Russia to back Iran’s rights at the international level in the wake of the US-Israel attack. Tehran’s diplomacy and legal defence at the UN are being watched closely. The Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi warns that any country supporting US aggression against Iran will be considered a legitimate target for retaliation. Three UN peacekeeping personnel were injured after their base in southern Lebanon was hit in an attack believed to have been launched by Israel. The economic calculus continues to become more complex; projections are often unsettled when faced with uncertainty. When combined with attacks on residential buildings, Israel compounds the suffering and hardship of an already exhausted civilian population. Sugiono has stressed that the credibility of the UN Human Rights Council must be upheld by all nations, which the body has long served as a forum for dialogue and cooperation. Iran has closed the Hormuz Strait, leaving 20,000 sailors and 15,000 passengers stranded. See UN warnings about ship attacks and their consequences.