Statement by H.E. Mr. Amir Saeid Iravani Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Before the United Nations Security Council On “The situation in the Middle East: (Syria)” New York, 20 September 2024   بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم   Thank you, Mr. President. We thank Mr. Pederson, the Special Envoy, and Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, the Director of the Coordination Division, OCHA, for their briefings. Mr. President, Syria continues to suffer from security challenges, particularly in areas under the occupation of illegal U.S. forces and UN-designated terrorist groups. The sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic must be fully respected by all, and illegal foreign forces must withdraw from its territory. A prominent example is the U.S. occupation, which, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, supports and protects terrorist groups, and the ongoing aggression of Israel's occupying regime in support of terrorist groups. Israel deliberately targets civilians and civilian infrastructure in Syria, violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity with impunity and without any response from the Security Council. Just this morning this terrorist regime once again targeted civilians near Damascus International Airport. Israeli aggressions and illegal actions pose a grave threat to international peace and security. Council must act to stop Israel’s ongoing violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including its continued occupation of the Syrian Golan. The brutal terrorist attacks aimed at the mass killing of innocent civilians in Lebanon by Israel on September 17 and 18  and in a part of Syria are a blatant violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian and human rights laws, and constitute a crime against humanity. The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns these horrific attacks and calls on the Security Council to condemn Israel and take decisive action to end its malicious activities in the region. We will address this internationally wrongful act in the Council meeting scheduled for this afternoon. Mr. President, The humanitarian and economic situation in Syria remains critical. Iran commends the tireless efforts of UN agencies and humanitarian partners in their work towards alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people. Despite such valuable efforts, politicizing humanitarian aid and obstructing international efforts to support Syria's reconstruction  by Western countries have prolonged the conflict and worsened the suffering of the Syrian people. The United States and its allies also continue to pursue their failed policy of inhumane, unilateral sanctions, effectively using them as a tool for the collective punishment of the Syrian people. As we have said before, these harmful measures must be lifted, both as a legal obligation and a moral necessity, as they only create unnecessary hardship and hinder Syria's recovery. It is also essential to provide impartial, non-politicized humanitarian aid to all regions of Syria to save lives and alleviate the crisis. Mr. President, We remain firmly committed to a political resolution of the Syrian crisis. Any solution must fully respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, end the illegal presence of foreign forces, including U.S. forces, halt U.S. exploitation of Syrian resources, and stop both Israel’s and the U.S.'s continued support to terrorist groups. Iran strongly supports the prompt resumption of the Constitutional Committee meetings. In this context, we fully support the Special Envoy’s active engagement with all parties involved in resolving the conflict. I thank you.