UN Must Show Moral Obligation Against All Genocide Everywhere: Iran’s Envoy

Amir Saeed Iravani, the Iranian permanent representative to the UN, addressed the UN General Assembly, saying that the world has a moral and legal obligation to stop and punish genocide where it takes place.

He stated that Iran is still totally committed to fighting and preventing genocide while speaking at the ceremony commemorating the tenth anniversary of the “International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide.”

Saeed Iravani stressed that the international community must honor the dignity of all victims whose suffering compels nations to act with clarity and moral resolve. Preventing genocide, he said, is not merely an aspirational goal but a binding obligation under international law.

He reaffirmed that it is the universal duty of all UN members to share the universal duty to prevent and punish genocide and to abstain from aiding those who commit it, pointing out that no state may disregard or apply the prohibition of genocide selectively since it is a peremptory norm of international law. He also cautioned that the pursuit of justice must be unrelenting since impunity merely encourages further crimes.

Iravani commended the efforts of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which has released extremely concerning conclusions about Israeli regime acts in Gaza that are on the verge of genocide.

According to him, Israel has frequently violated international humanitarian law and human rights, with UN mechanisms documenting these violations extensively. He stated that in its advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice declared the events in Gaza to be genocide, citing mass murders, serious injuries, starvation under blockade, systematic destruction of health and education systems, sexual violence, torture, international targeting of women and children, widespread attacks on cultural and religious sites, and obstruction of humanitarian aid.

“These crimes cannot be justified, minimized, or concealed” Western media outlets are using dehumanizing language to legitimize Israel’s actions,” Iravani claimed.

Additionally, he cited the conclusions of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who revealed that a number of Western nations have, under the guise of diplomacy, enabled, justified, or normalized Israel’s acts, thereby perpetuating colonial narratives and warping international law.

“Genocide cannot be erased by silence,” he stated. “The suffering of the victims must strengthen our collective resolve to end this crime once and for all.”

Iravani came to the conclusion that in order to put an end to the genocide and preserve the dignity of its victims, the UN must demonstrate true moral leadership—not just via commemorations but also by resolute action by its member nations.