Mumbai, June 13: Early Friday, June 13, Israel attacked Iran's capital in strikes which targeted the country's nuclear programme and killed at least three top military officers, thereby raising the potential for an all-out war between the two countries. Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they eliminated three of Iran's Top Military Commanders including Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Hossein Salami, the Commander of the IRGC and Gholam Ali Rashid, the Commander of Iran's Emergency Command. After Israel's attack, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel would face a "severe punishment" over its attack on the country. Iran also invoked Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Khamene further said that Israel "opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centres". After Israel's airstrikes, Iran’s foreign ministry issued an official statement and said that Israel had violated Iran's sovereignty and national integrity. "The attacks by the Zionist regime against Iran constitute a violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, and are a clear act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement added. Iran also said that under Article 51 of the UN Charter, they have the right to respond to the unprovoked and illegal assault in a manner it deems "appropriate". So, what is Article 51 of the United Nations Charter all about? Israel-Iran War: Supermarkets Overrun As Panic Buying Sweeps Tel Aviv After IDF Strikes Military and Nuclear Sites in Tehran, Videos Surface.

What Is Article 51 of the UN Charter?

Article 51 of the UN Charter, which comes under Chapter VII "Action with respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression," states that a member state has the inherent right to respond to an armed attack. "Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security," Article 51 says. It further reads, "Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security." Hossein Salami, Mohammad Bagheri, Gholam Ali Rashid Dead: Israel Kills 3 of Iran's Top Military Commanders, Call Them 'Ruthless Mass Murderers'.

In simple terms, Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which was adopted in 1945, can be understood as the right to self-defence under which nations can defend themselves from armed attacks until the Security Council intervenes. Has Iran used Article 51 of the UN Charter in the past? In April 2024, Iran defended its "Right to Self-Defense" after it conducted an unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel. The attack was in response to a deadly strike against its embassy complex in Syria.

After today's attack by Israel on Iran, Tehran has once again invoked Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and will most likely justify its counterattack on the grounds of self-defence. Following the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, Pakistan came out in support of Tehran. In an official statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said, "Pakistan strongly condemns unjustified and illegitimate aggression by Israel… Iran has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2025 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).