In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

                                                                         5 July 2022

Excellency,

I am writing to you with reference to the letter dated 24 June 2022 from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council and the Security Council Facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015) (S/2022/514) in which, with respect to annex B to resolution 2231 (2015), the United States continues to level misleading and unfounded accusations against my Country.

In our previous communications, including a letter dated 7 January 2022 (S/2022/15), we have stated our consistent position on this issue and reiterated that Iran’s space and missile programs, including the launch of space vehicles, fall outside of the purview or competence of Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) and its annexes.

As a responsible State, Iran has never engaged in any activity that breaches its obligations under resolution 2231. Accordingly, Iran categorically rejects those unfounded and misleading allegations contained in the aforementioned letter as well as the United States' futile and desperate attempts to draw a fictitious link between Iranian missile and space programs and paragraph 3 of annex B to resolution 2231 (2015).

It is extremely ironic that the United States, which has a longstanding record of violating international law and the UN Charter, accuses Iran of violating Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015).

The United States is in flagrant violation of its explicit legal obligations under Security Council Resolution 2231 by withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which constitutes a material breach of international law. The United States also flagrantly violates these obligations through its subsequent policies and practices, including the implementation of unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people, exerting unprecedented pressure on other countries to either disregard their obligations under resolution 2231 or face punishment. This is unprecedented in the Security Council's history, and it is especially reprehensible and repugnant for a permanent member of the Security Council to threaten other responsible Member States for respecting the Council's resolution.

In this regard, the United States must take full responsibility for such an internationally wrongful act for which it must be held accountable.

As has frequently been underlined, space exploration and utilization for peaceful purposes constitute the inherent and fundamental rights of all member States under international law,  and in this regard, Iran's use of space launch vehicles is merely a part of scientific and technological activities related to the application of space technology in areas such as disaster management, environmental monitoring, natural resource management, communication, human health, food security and sustainable agriculture. Iran is determined to exercise its inherent rights.

The international community must be extremely watchful of the politically motivated strategy of the United States and some other industrialized nations which attempt to demonize benign technologies, such as space technology, that are essential for the socio-economic development of all nations, particularly developing countries, under the absurd pretext of proliferation concerns. This trend poses a serious threat to the ability of States to freely exercise their inalienable right to access all areas of space and celestial bodies, their freedom to explore and utilize space for peaceful purposes, as well as their unrestricted access to space through space science, technology and applications.

Instead of taking such provocative, irresponsible and contradictory positions as well as fabricating baseless allegations against Iran regarding the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015), the United States must comply unconditionally, fully and genuinely with all of its respective legal obligations under that resolution, particularly its annex A, namely the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Finally, given the mandate set forth in the note by the Council’s President on Security Council tasks under that resolution (S/2016/44), the Secretary-General is therefore expected to seriously respect his mandate and avoid reporting on such irrelevant and baseless claims in his next reports on the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). Instead, based on the foregoing terms of reference, the Secretary-General is kindly requested to report on the violation of that resolution by the United States.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

  Majid Takht Ravanchi

                                                                                                Ambassador

        Permanent Representative

H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres

Secretary-General

United Nations, New York

H.E. Mr. Ronaldo Costa Filho

President of the Security Council

United Nations

New York

cc: H.E. Mrs. Geraldine Byrne Nason

Facilitator of the Security Council resolution 2231 (2015)

United Nations, New York