ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Monday addressed a letter to the United Nations Security Council complaining about “reckless and belligerent statements” by US President Donald Trump in which he threatened military action unless Tehran agreed to directly negotiate on its nuclear program.

The letter was addressed to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, who described Trump’s threats as a “violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations" and urged the Council to condemn them.

Earlier this week, Trump threatened that if Tehran does not make a deal on the nuclear issue, “there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”

The American president’s remarks came after Tehran rejected his proposal to engage in direct negotiations over its nuclear development program.

Iran said that it “strongly warns against any military adventurism and will respond swiftly and decisively to any act of aggression or attack by the United States or its proxy, the Israeli regime, against its sovereignty, territorial integrity, or national interests."

The letter continues that since taking office, Trump has “resorted to the language of force, openly threatening the Islamic Republic of Iran with military action," adding that “the United States will be fully responsible for the grave consequences of any hostile action.”

The complaint comes just a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Tehran would strongly retaliate against any US attacks after Trumps threats.

“They threaten to do mischief,” Khamenei said, warning Trump that if any military strike is carried out, “they will certainly receive a heavy blow in return.”

 
In early February, US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum restoring his "maximum pressure" policy against Iran, which entails a series of extensive sanctions on Tehran and new economic measures to pressure the country.

 
In 2015, world powers agreed to ease international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program, a deal that came to be known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
 

The United States, during the first Trump administration, unilaterally withdrew from the landmark and reimposed economic sanctions, causing extensive damage to the Iranian economy.

 
Iran insists that their nuclear development efforts are peaceful. The US, however, has remained wary of Tehran’s nuclear program, suspecting that Iranian nuclear research is driven by a desire to acquire nuclear weapons.

Updated at 13:51