Umar Farooq
21 June 2019•Update: 21 June 2019
WASHINGTON
Iran's ambassador to the UN called on the international community Thursday to demand an end to destabilizing measures by Washington towards Tehran.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres after Iran shot down an American military drone earlier in the day. Tehran says the drone was shot down over Iranian territory, while the U.S. says it was flying over international waters.
The letter said the drone’s encroachment on Iranian territory is a "very dangerous and provocative act” by U.S. military forces against the territorial integrity of Iran.
“While the Islamic Republic does not seek war, it reserves its inherent right, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, to take all appropriate necessary measures against any hostile act violating its territory, and is determined to defend its land, sea and air,” the letter said.
"The international community is called upon to demand the United States to put an end to its continued unlawful and destabilizing measures in the already volatile region of the Persian Gulf.”
U.S. congressional leaders were invited by the White House to a Situation Room briefing on Iran, and President Donald Trump told the public they would "find out" whether Washington would strike back at Tehran.
The U.S. has increased its military presence in the Middle East, deploying a carrier strike force, bomber task force and Patriot missile battery, using threats from Iran as justification for the actions.
On Monday, the Trump administration announced it would be sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East, citing increased threats from Iran.
Part of its campaign has included the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on exports of Iranian crude oil, which has sent the Iranian economy into a nosedive.
Many in Congress, however, oppose the U.S. provoking a military conflict with Iran, and on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill that would end the authorization for military force passed after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that some lawmakers feared Trump would use to justify going to war with Iran.
