Statement During Interactive Dialogue on Candidacy for UN Secretary-General

Iran's representative has delivered a statement during an interactive dialogue on the candidacy for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The full text of the statement is as follows:

Statement by

Mr. Nasser Assadi Nazari

Third Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Interactive Dialogue on Candidacy for UNSG

New York, 21 April 2026

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Thank you, Madam President.

The Islamic Republic of Iran views the Secretary-General not as a mere administrative official, but as the guardian of the UN Charter. The key issue is whether the next Secretary-General will firmly uphold the UN Charter, particularly the principle of the prohibition of the use of force under Article 2(4), a peremptory norm of international law.

Recent acts of aggression by Israel and the United States against Iran, including unlawful attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities, raise a critical concern: can silence or ambiguity in the face of such clear violations be reconciled with this responsibility?

In this context, our clear questions are:

1. Will the next Secretary-General take an explicit and public position, without hesitation, in response to blatant violations of the Charter in any and all parts of the world?

2. Will the next Secretary-General be willing, even in the face of major powers, to fully uphold the principles of impartiality and independence enshrined in Article 100?

3. And ultimately, will the next Secretary-General defend, in practice—not merely in words—the equal rights of all sovereign States, in particular, the rights outlined in Article 105 of the Charter, or will we continue to witness the persistence of double standards?

We believe that the Secretary-General should be the voice of justice, a defender of international law, and one who does not remain silent in the face of clear violations of the Charter.

In our view, the credibility of the United Nations, now more than ever, depends on a principled and responsible choice.

Thank you.