Merve Aydogan
03 July 2026•Update: 03 July 2026
The presence of American military bases in the Persian Gulf region undermines rather than protects regional security, Iran's ambassador to the UN said Thursday as tensions between Tehran and Washington continued to play out at the world body.
"It should have been clear that the presence of the US military bases and foreign interference in the Persian Gulf region brings nothing but insecurity. They have put at risk the regional security in general and the maritime safety in particular," Amir Saeid Iravani told a UN Security Council session on the Middle East.
"The US has no coastal border in our region. It is not their waters. It is not their neighborhood. Defining and concluding a security regime for our region is the exclusive joint responsibility of the neighboring countries, and the US and others, rather than a destructive military presence or interference, need to support regional countries to fulfil such responsibility," he added.
Iravani argued that the council should have refrained from convening the meeting while technical talks, facilitated by Pakistan and Qatar, focus on implementing the June 17 framework agreement that addresses, among other things, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.
"I categorically reject the baseless allegations made by the United States. Once again, the representative of the United States has resorted to lies and disinformation against Iran in a desperate attempt to justify the US' unlawful acts of aggression," he said.
Noting that Iran remains committed to implementing the framework deal "provided that the United States faithfully fulfils its own obligations," he said Tehran has launched technical dialogue with Oman on the demining and reopening of the strait.
"Any external interference or attempt to establish parallel arrangements” would violate the agreement, he warned.
Iravani also rejected accusations from Western Council members and Bahrain, saying they had "ignored the unlawful aggression committed against Iran" and accused them of seeking "to shift blame onto the victim."
US envoy to UN accuses Iran of defying Security Council
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the council that Iran "cannot — and we cannot allow it to — hold the world's economy hostage," saying 136 countries had co-sponsored a resolution demanding Iran keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
"Despite the diplomatic achievements and agreements, Iran still hasn't shown the world a basic level of decency and respect. Instead, they openly defied this council, their neighbors, and basic tenets of diplomacy," Waltz said, adding that "President Trump's patience is not unlimited."
Responding to Iravani's remarks, Waltz said: "This is not Tehran. This is the United States of America. This is the United Nations Security Council. You will not silence this body."
Addressing the US directly, Iravani later asked: "I ask him whether a maritime blockade is a collective punishment. You were at war with Iran. Why did you prevent international vessels from reaching Iranian ports?" He cited polling that he said showed “70% of Americans and taxpayers oppose your administration's war policy toward Iran.”
