Iran on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council and Secretary General Antonio Guterres to condemn the US over comments made by President Donald Trump about continuing protests in the country.
In a post on Truth Social and in comments throughout the day on Tuesday, Mr Trump told demonstrators to "keep protesting" and "take over your institutions", saying that "help is on the way".
Iran's mission to the UN called on Mr Guterres and the Security Council – on which the US sits as a permanent, veto-wielding member – to condemn the US for inciting violence and threatening the use of force.
"This reckless statement [by Mr Trump] explicitly encourages political destabilisation, incites and invites violence, and threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Tehran's mission to the UN said in a statement.
The statement called Mr Trump's remarks part of a "continuing and escalating pattern" aimed at destabilising the country.
Mr Trump in his comments also warned that those responsible for deaths and abuse would be held to account, asking “Iranian patriots” to “save the names of the killers and abusers”.
The Iranian mission added that both the US and Israel bear legal responsibility for the loss of civilian lives.
It called for the US and Israel to end "destabilising policies and practices" and comply with international law.
Protests have rocked Iran for weeks, with demonstrators clashing frequently with security forces in an increasingly brutal crackdown. The protests were originally focused on economic issues but have expanded to calls for political change.
More than 600 people have been killed, among them nine children, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, although the death toll is believed to be much higher.
The Trump administration has been considering its options in Iran, and Mr Trump has hinted that military force is on the table, among sanctions and other tools.
