Merve Aydogan
22 October 2024•Update: 22 October 2024
HAMILTON, Canada
Iran's mission to the UN on Monday expressed serious concerns over the US involvement in a potential Israeli military attack on Iran, accusing Washington of "complicity."
Iran expressed concern in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council presidency about recent remarks made by US President Joe Biden, who disclosed to be aware of Israel's alleged plans to launch an attack on Iran.
"This inflammatory statement is deeply concerning, as it indicates the United States' tacit approval and explicit support for Israel’s unlawful military aggression against Iran," the letter stated, emphasizing that such rhetoric undermines Washington’s repeated claims of supporting "de-escalation in the Middle East."
The letter cited comments made by Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Oct. 18 on X, where he issued a warning: "Anybody with knowledge or understanding of 'how and when Israel was going to attack Iran', and/or providing the means and backing for such folly, should logically be held accountable for any possible causality."
Accusing the US of involvement "through its provision of technical expertise and advanced weaponry, including sophisticated air defense systems, to Israel," the Iranian mission blamed Washington for complicity "in any Israeli aggression against Iran and its consequences.”
"It has already been complicit in the ongoing war crimes and genocidal campaign targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon," the letter added.
It also has called on the Security Council to condemn the US for what it sees as a violation of international law and to demand that the US, as a permanent member of the council, "fulfill its obligations under international law and the UN Charter."
The documents, dated Oct. 15 and 16, began to circulate on Friday after Middle East Spectator shared them on Telegram. According to reports, the leaks came from within the US intelligence community.
One of the documents, allegedly compiled by the Defense Department's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, indicates that Israel's plans include relocating munitions.
"The Israeli Air Force continued air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) handling, covered UAV operations, and conducted a second large-force employment (LFE) exercise from 15 through October 2024, according to imagery analysis," said the document.
It noted that since Oct. 8, the Israeli Air Force has handled at least 16 Golden Horizon ALBMs and more than 40 IS02 (Rocks) ALBMs. The document said ALBM handling continued at Hatzerim Airfield as of Oct. 16.
Another document, attributed to the National Security Agency, details Israeli air force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles, which are thought to be in preparation for a strike on Iran.
The exchanges of fire between Tel Aviv and Tehran have escalated this year after Israel bombed Iran's Embassy in Syria on April 1, killing senior military officials. Iran responded to that attack two weeks later by launching hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel.
