UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, accused the United States of blocking his country’s participation in a Security Council briefing on Iran-U.S. tensions.
“As a country whose airspace has been violated by two U.S. spy drones, Iran was entitled to participate in the council’s meeting today. This is our right under the UN Charter,” said Takht Ravanchi.
“We expressed our readiness and request to participate in that meeting. However, unfortunately, we were denied of exercising this right,” he told reporters, outside the consultations room, where the closed-door Security Council briefing was being held.
“Today the council is being briefed unilaterally by one party: the U.S., who is abusing its position as the council’s permanent member, to misguide this body, in order to advance its anti-Iran policy,” said the ambassador.
The Security Council consultations came, after a sudden flareup of the already tense relations between Tehran and Washington, following Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone.
“We have irrefutable information on the incident to provide to the council,” said the Iranian ambassador, referring to the downing of the drone.
“According to our credible, detailed and precise technical information, on the path, location, and point of intrusion, and impact of the U.S. spy drone, there is no doubt that when targeted, the drone was flying over Iranian territorial sea,” said the ambassador.
The United States said the drone, a U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk, was flying over international waters when it was downed.
The Iranian ambassador said, another U.S. spy aircraft, with 35 people aboard, violated Iran’s airspace on the same day, but Iran “exercised maximum restraint” and did not take action. A U.S. drone entered Iranian airspace on May 26, and Iran did not take action either, he said.– NNN-IRNA
