Iran is demanding compensation from five Arab countries that Tehran says are letting their territories be used by American forces in Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike campaign against the Islamic republic, according to Iran’s official Press TV network.
In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran’s ambassador not only rejected compensation demands from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan, but also said it was the “victim of aggression” and was exercising its inherent right of self-defense when it launched strikes against those countries.
“In some cases, unlawful armed attacks against civilian targets inside Iran have been carried out by those states,” according to the letter from Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s U.N. envoy. “The named states cannot lawfully invoke Article 51 of the U.N. Charter [the right of self-defense] vis-a-vis Iran as they facilitated the U.S.-Israeli aggression.”
On Tuesday, Press TV said the Iranian U.N. mission is demanding that the five Arab nations immediately cease letting their territories be used by the U.S., as well as launching attacks directly.
“They should make full reparation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, including compensation for all material and moral damage sustained as part of their internationally wrongful acts,” Mr. Iravani said in the letter.
Iran said it respected the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of its Arab neighbors, saying that its reprisal attacks were directed solely at the U.S. assets and bases on their soil, according to Press TV.
Tehran said the total repairs could cost upward of $270 billion, according to the Iran International TV network.
