Iran formally complained to the UN Security Council on June 28, 2026, accusing the United States of repeated violations and revealing that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been "marked for death," according to a letter reported by IRNA IRNA. The letter referenced a second US air strike, framing it as part of an escalating pattern of American military action against Iranian territory.

The complaint to the Security Council marks Iran's most direct diplomatic channel for lodging grievances about the conduct of the war. By documenting specific strikes and the reported threat to Khamenei's life in a formal UN communication, Tehran is building a record it can reference in future diplomatic or legal proceedings. Reuters separately reported on July 1 that Iran warned of an immediate response to any threat and cited the "marked for death" designation for the supreme leader Reuters.

The current crisis traces to February 28, 2026, when US-Israeli strikes killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, triggering Iranian retaliation Reuters. Iran named Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, as the new supreme leader on March 14, 2026 Reuters. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in an interview that there was no problem with the transition to the new supreme leader Reuters.

The war itself began earlier, on June 13, when Israel carried out what Araghchi described as "unlawful and criminal operations" during a statement before the High-Level Segment of the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council Iranian MFA. Araghchi characterized the conflict as a war "imposed on Iran" in that same address.

Iran's diplomatic posture throughout the crisis has paired military signaling with sustained outreach. Araghchi posted on X about a Supreme National Security Council statement indicating that if attacks against Iran were halted, Iran's Armed Forces would cease their defensive operations Iranian MFA. On April 26, 2026, Araghchi discussed efforts to end the war and Strait of Hormuz security with Oman Reuters. He also communicated with UN Secretary-General António Guterres regarding an attack on nuclear facilities Iranian MFA.

By July, Araghchi asserted that Netanyahu, having initiated war against Iran, "soon had to plead with the President" Iranian MFA. He also addressed the 61st session of the Human Rights Council on April 2, 2026 Iranian MFA. On July 9, Araghchi issued a message expressing gratitude to the Iranian people Iranian MFA.

The letter to the Security Council sits at the intersection of several pressure points. The reference to a second US air strike indicates the military exchanges have not been isolated incidents. The "marked for death" language applied to Mojtaba Khamenei echoes the fate of his father, killed in the February strikes, and signals Tehran's assessment that the new supreme leader faces an existential threat from the US-Israeli campaign. Iran's concurrent warning of an "immediate response to any threat" reinforces that the complaint is not purely procedural but paired with a readiness to act militarily.

The broader context here is a conflict that has already produced a leadership decapitation, a dynastic succession, and multiple rounds of retaliation across roughly five months. Iran's diplomatic track, running through the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council, bilateral contacts with Oman, and direct communication with Guterres, is operating in parallel with continued military signaling. The Strait of Hormuz discussions with Oman point to Tehran's awareness that the war's economic spillover, particularly through oil shipping chokepoints, gives regional actors like Muscat a stake in de-escalation.

Whether the Security Council takes up Iran's complaint in any substantive way is uncertain. The Council's permanent members include both the United States and states that have participated in or enabled the strikes, making formal action unlikely. But the letter's value for Iran may lie less in immediate Council response than in establishing a documented record of grievances, attributing responsibility, and framing the narrative for non-aligned and Global South audiences. Araghchi's engagement across multiple UN bodies, his bilateral outreach on Hormuz, and his public framing of the war as imposed all serve that strategy.