In separate letters sent to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the Security Council, Ervani explained that allowing the territory of any country to launch armed attacks against another country constitutes a violation of international responsibilities, according to the Iranian Fars. He emphasized that “Tehran considers this behavior illegal and expresses its strong and clear protest against it,” calling on the governments of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia to adhere to the principles of good neighborliness and work to prevent the use of their lands in any acts targeting Iran.
The Iranian ambassador, in his letters, pointed to the timing of the attacks which he said were launched from the territories of the mentioned countries. Last Tuesday evening, US President Donald Trump announced that, pending Iran’s proposal and the conclusion of discussions in one way or another, “Given the severe division within the Iranian government, which is expected, and at the request of Marshal Asim Munir and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, we were asked to suspend our attack on Iran until its leaders and representatives present a unified proposal.”
President Trump also announced the continuation of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, despite Washington’s agreement to postpone strikes on Iran. Trump wrote on the social media platform “Truth Social”: “I have issued directives to our armed forces.”
On April 8, Iran and the United States reached an agreement to ceasefire between them for two weeks, following a military escalation that lasted about 40 days, including extensive attacks launched on sites inside Iran that resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials and about 3,500 people. Tehran responded with missile strikes and drones targeting Israel and American military installations in the Middle East.
On April 11, a round was held in Islamabad aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire and settling the conflict, but it ended without significant results, amid disagreements over Tehran’s desire to control the Strait of Hormuz and its refusal to relinquish its stockpile of enriched uranium. Consequently, Washington announced on the 13th of the same month the imposition of a naval blockade on Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s shipments of oil, derivatives, and liquefied natural gas pass.
