New York, April 29 -- Amidst intensifying maritime friction, Iran has lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations, accusing the US of engaging in "piracy" following the seizure of Iranian vessels. According to the Iranian state media Tasnim News Agency, the protest was detailed in a letter sent by Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and the Security Council.

The envoy argued that Washington's justification for the maritime interceptions lacked any standing under global statutes. "Reliance on domestic arrangements, which are inherently illegal, can under no circumstances justify such an abhorrent crime committed through the use of force," he stated in the correspondence.

The diplomat ...