In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the Security Council on Friday, Iran's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani said the United States is carrying out further military attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in southern Iran, urging the Security Council to fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security under the UN Charter.
According to the letter, the latest strikes were carried out late on July 16 and in the early hours of July 17, targeting multiple locations across Iran's southern Hormozgan province.
Iran stated that the attacks damaged civilian transportation infrastructure, including several bridges, roads, and the Bandar Abbas railway station, disrupting rail services and commercial activity.
The Iranian envoy went on to say that one bridge collapse caused a civilian vehicle to fall, resulting in the killing of seven civilians and injuries to nine others.
He also noted that a separate strike in a residential neighborhood of Bandar Abbas killed one civilian and wounded eight more.
Additional explosions were reported near Qeshm Island as well as in Bandar Lengeh and Sirik, according to the letter.
Iravani further said official figures released by Iran's Health Ministry indicated that more than 400 people had been injured since the beginning of July as a result of US military operations.
The letter stated that 43 people had been killed as of July 17, including women and a child, while dozens of others remained hospitalized in critical condition.
The Iranian ambassador further noted that the repeated targeting of civilian property and essential transportation networks constituted violations of international humanitarian law and amounted to war crimes.
He further asserted that the attacks breached Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states.
"Iran urgently renews its call upon the Security Council to discharge its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security under the Charter, and to take immediate, effective measures to put an end to the US aggression, and to ensure accountability for all severe violations by the United States," Iravani wrote.
The envoy also warned that continued military actions posed a serious threat to “international peace and security, freedom of navigation, regional stability, and security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.”
Concluding the letter, Iravani said that if the United Nations and the Security Council continued to fail to take effective action, Iran would reserve "its inherent right under international law to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, people, and vital national interests."