Bendjama: Targeting Iran, a Flagrant Violation of International Law and UN Charter

The Zionist entity’s targeting of military and civilian facilities in Iran constitutes a “flagrant violation” of international law and the UN Charter, Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Amar Bendjama, affirmed on Friday in New York, calling on the international community to take action against this repeated violation.

The Algerian Press Service quoted Ambassador Amar Bendjama as saying in his remarks during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Iran; “We are once again facing a serious and deliberate act of aggression,” adding that the Zionist army “launched coordinated strikes on Iranian territory, targeting military and civilian infrastructure.”

He stressed that “These actions are not only unjustifiable and unjustified, but they constitute a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter”.

The diplomat recalled that since the beginning of its mandate at the Security Council, Algeria has “constantly warned against the growing danger of a wider regional conflagration, fueled by a spiral of illegal acts and provocations” by the Zionist entity, noting that today’s events unfortunately confirm the validity of these warnings.

Ambassador Bendjama cited the UN Charter, which stipulates that “all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

In this regard, the ambassador stated that “the logic of unilateral force, of so-called preemptive strikes outside of any legal mandate, can neither be normalised nor tolerated” within the Security Council, indicating that “once again, these attacks prove that the only thing that preemptive action could prevent is peace.”

He stressed that several intelligence services, including those of the closest ally of the Zionist entity, “continue to believe that Iran is not manufacturing a nuclear weapon.” he insisted that “the justifications” presented by Zionist officials are therefore unacceptable and erroneous.”

All the more so, he added, because they come from a UN member “which continues to operate outside the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which is not fully subject to the IAEA nuclear safeguards regime and which systematically refuses to participate in the negotiation process relating to the creation of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.”

Mr. Bendjama clarified that in its statement issued this morning, the IAEA recalls the numerous resolutions of the General Conference on military attacks against nuclear facilities, providing that “any armed attack or threat against nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the statute of the agency.”

Furthermore, the IAEA has consistently emphasised that “armed attacks against nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with serious consequences within and beyond the borders of the attacked state,” he added.

Algeria’s permanent representative to the UN also questioned the timing chosen by the Zionist entity to launch its attacks against Iran, recalling that they come precisely at a time when Iran and the United States, with the assistance of Oman, are engaged in indirect negotiations concerning the Iranian nuclear program and that a sixth round of discussions is to take place this weekend in Muscat.

“The use of force without the authorization of the Security Council, in the absence of legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, undermines the very foundations of the international legal order that this body was created to defend,” he lamented, stressing that the Zionist aggression against Iran represents “an act completely devoid of any legal basis.”

The Zionist entity, he continued, “acts as if the law does not exist, or does not apply to it.” It “is sowing chaos throughout the region and its behaviour is unworthy of a member of the United Nations.”

He added: “We are witnessing repeated acts of aggression, the bombardment of the Lebanese capital, the occupation of new territories in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, and repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty, including the abduction of civilians, as happened yesterday.”

The diplomat warned once again that in Gaza, the Zionist entity “is using starvation as a method of warfare, in flagrant violation of international law, and that genocide is taking place before our eyes.” In the face of these Zionist attacks, Mr. Bendjama indicated that “the international community cannot allow a precedent to be created where members of the UN would act as judge and jury” and “launch unilateral attacks in violation of established legal norms.”

“Such action would undermine the credibility of this Council and diminish the authority of the UN Charter itself,” he warned, calling on Council members to “reaffirm, clearly and collectively, that the principles enshrined in the Charter are not optional” but “constitute binding obligations.”

“The prohibition of the use of force and respect for the sovereignty of member states are the pillars on which our international system is based,” he concluded.