Araghchi urges world to hold US accountable for ‘war crimes’ at UNGA

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that global inaction toward recent war crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran could have catastrophic consequences for the international community.

The Iranian minister made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in New York, where he was attending the 2026 United Nations General Assembly.

Araghchi said the world has not done enough to condemn those war crimes, notably the attacks on February 28 on a school in Minab and a sports hall in Lamerd, both in southern Iran, where the United States killed close to 200 people, many of them children.

Iran’s foreign minister underscored the extensive ramifications of the impunity of the criminals for the entire world.

Araghchi said all countries have a responsibility to uphold the UN Charter and international law, not least the principle of the prohibition of the use of force.

Governments around the world must hold the United States accountable for the consequences of its actions, including the repeated violations of the indirect agreements with Iran to end the aggression, Araghchi said.

Iran is determined to defend itself against interventionist actions of the United States, including its naval blockade and the economic war it has imposed on the Iranian people, he added.

During the meeting, Araghchi and Cassis also discussed bilateral relations and regional and international developments.

Araghchi also held other meetings on Tuesday, including with the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov.

Complicity in aggression

In the meeting with Tajani, Araghchi described Italy’s hosting of US military bases, along with any cooperation in preparing for or carrying out acts of aggression against Iran, as “extremely dangerous” and tantamount to complicity in aggression.

He said such actions could entail international responsibility for states that host or assist in such operations.

On human rights, particularly women’s rights, Araghchi denounced “the double standards” of some European countries. He said those who remained silent over the most serious human rights violations by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, and who showed indifference to US and Israeli attacks on the Iranian people, including in Minab and Lamerd, had no standing to lecture others on human rights.

He also criticized their support for the US “economic terrorism” against the Iranian people.

EU’s appeasement of US bullying

Speaking with Kallas, Araghchi highlighted Iran’s practical commitment to diplomacy in pursuit of peace and security in the region. He said repeated US breaches of commitments had been the sole factor disrupting diplomatic processes.

The Iranian foreign minister also criticized the European Union, saying that in numerous cases it had chosen a path of appeasement toward US bullying rather than adhering to principles it claims to uphold, including the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Such an approach, he said, would “in no way” serve international peace and security.

Joining hands to counter Western sanctions on independent nations

Araghchi and his Belarusian counterpart Ryzhenkov discussed the latest state of bilateral relations, ways to expand economic and trade cooperation, and regional and international developments.

Araghchi described relations between Iran and Belarus as “excellent and growing” and stressed Iran’s determination to fully implement previous agreements and deepen cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

He denounced the West’s unilateral and unlawful sanctions against independent countries. He stressed the need for Iran and Belarus to increase coordination and jointly resist political and economic pressure stemming from unilateralism.

The Belarusian foreign minister, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the meeting and reaffirmed Minsk’s determination to strengthen the “brotherly and strategic” relationship with Tehran. He also described safeguarding the UN Charter and the national sovereignty of states as a fundamental principle of international relations.

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