Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson hit back at German President Steinmeier for calling the West Asia conflict an 'unnecessary war'. He argued the crisis stems from the US's JCPOA withdrawal and that the UN Charter does not permit 'necessary war'.
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Friday strongly responded to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's characterisation of the ongoing West Asia conflict as an "unnecessary war", asserting that the United Nations Charter does not recognise any concept of a "necessary war".
Baqaei Cites US JCPOA Withdrawal as Root Cause
In a post on X, Baqaei said the current regional crisis stems directly from the United States' "unlawful and capricious withdrawal" in May 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which imposes strict, verifiable restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in return for relief from economic sanctions, arguing that the escalation could have been avoided.
Baqaei added that the UN Charter does not permit states to justify the use of force against sovereign nations based on "arbitrary and whimsical decisions of aggressors".
"It is true that the current crisis confronting our region and the world stems directly from the United States' unlawful and capricious withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018; It is also true that this imposed war could and should have been avoided. However, the UN Charter does not recognise any notion of a "necessary war" that would grant States the right to use force against another sovereign nation based on the arbitrary & whimsical decisions of aggressors," he stated in his post.
'Blatant Act of Aggression'
Baqaei further rejected attempts to describe the situation as an "unnecessary war," stating that such framing undermines the gravity of the situation. "The American-Israeli attack on Iran cannot be downplayed or reframed as merely an 'unnecessary war'," his post added.
Calling it a "flagrant violation" of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, Baqaei described the situation as "a blatant act of aggression against a sovereign state" and urged countries that "value the rule of law" to condemn the attack and demand accountability.
"It was a flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter -- a blatant act of aggression against a sovereign State. Any nation that values the rule of law and the UN Charter must unequivocally condemn this act of aggression and call for accountability," the post stated.
Mr. President, It is true that the current crisis confronting our region and the world stems directly from the United States’ unlawful and capricious withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018; It is also true that this imposed war could and should have been avoided; However, the UN… pic.twitter.com/6nDUg01d9Q — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) May 22, 2026
The remarks came after the German President referred to the West Asia conflict involving Iran and Us-Israeli coalition forces as an "unnecessary war" in a news article which was shared by Baqaei along with the post.
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