First Committee, 18th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 80th session
Thematic discussion on specific subjects and introduction and consideration of all draft resolutions and decisions submitted under agenda items (from 90 to 106)
A/C.1/80/L.1, A/C.1/80/L.2, A/C.1/80/L.3, A/C.1/80/L.4, A/C.1/80/L.5, A/C.1/80/L.6, A/C.1/80/L.7, A/C.1/80/L.8, A/C.1/80/L.10, A/C.1/80/L.11, A/C.1/80/L.12, A/C.1/80/L.13, A/C.1/80/L.14, A/C.1/80/L.15, A/C.1/80/L.16, A/C.1/80/L.17, A/C.1/80/L.18, A/C.1/80/L.20, A/C.1/80/L.21, A/C.1/80/L.22, A/C.1/80/L.23, A/C.1/80/L.24, A/C.1/80/L.26, A/C.1/80/L.27, A/C.1/80/L.28, A/C.1/80/L.29, A/C.1/80/L.30, A/C.1/80/L.31, A/C.1/80/L.32, A/C.1/80/L.33, A/C.1/80/L.34, A/C.1/80/L.35, A/C.1/80/L.36, A/C.1/80/L.37, A/C.1/80/L.38, A/C.1/80/L.39, A/C.1/80/L.40, A/C.1/80/L.41, A/C.1/80/L.42, A/C.1/80/L.43, A/C.1/80/L.44, A/C.1/80/L.45, A/C.1/80/L.46, A/C.1/80/L.47, A/C.1/80/L.48, A/C.1/80/L.63
Rights of reply
5 replies by 4 delegations · 2 rounds
🇮🇱 Israel, 🇷🇺 Russian Federation, 🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran, 🇰🇵 Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Round 1
🇮🇱 IsraelFirst replyin response to Islamic Republic of Iran
Thank you, Chair. Israel categorically rejects the baseless accusations made by the representative of Iran. His claims are nothing more than an attempt to divert the international community's attention from Iran's own long record of destabilizing behavior and systematic violations of international law in UN resolutions, including in the cyberspace, as Iran is continuing to bluntly violate the norms of responsible use of ICT by states. It is ironic that the representative of Iran A country that continues to arm and fund terrorist organizations across the Middle East, that openly calls for the destruction of a UN member state, and it advances a nuclear and ballistic missile program in defiance of Security Council resolutions, would lecture others about peace or security. Chair Iran bears direct responsibility for fueling ant instability and violence in the region of the Middle East and beyond through cybersip, through through cyberspace two. Its proxies and militias undermine every effort toward regional stability and human security. More than fifteen cyber attack groups attributed to Iran and its terrorist and non-state proxies have continuously intensified their attempts to launch cyber attacks against targets in the Israeli public, private, and government sectors. Only in the passing year, we have identified more than 2,000 cyber attacks with an intention to spread terror through harming civilians and attempting to cause real physical and cognitive damage. Iran and its terror allies have continued using cyberspace to damage, among other things, our critical civilian infrastructures, targeting our energy installations, water systems, and even our public hospitals and education institutions. Iran's actions should be condemned uniformly, also in this form. Charity's malicious actions and attempts clearly violate the basic norms of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. Nations who have been advocating here and calling for the implementation and adherence of these important norms should all stand together with Israel. And unambiguously condemn these harmful malicious cyber attacks perpetrated by Iran and its terror proxies. Chair Israel remains committed to working with all peace loving nations to promote stability and security in cyberspace and continues to advocate for the responsible use of ICTN technology. All values that this committee is meant to uphold. Iran clearly isn't. I thank you.
🇷🇺 Russian FederationFirst reply
Distinguished Chair, we categorically reject the race and politically motivated attacks we've heard about Usher's alleged involvement in cy cyber attacks. These accusations. Have uh are long-standing propaganda tricks used by the West, including against uh Russian companies. I emphasize that the uh alleged victims is usually do not prov as usual don't provide any kind of evidence of their accusations. Their explanation here is that there is no evidence because these accusations are completely fabricated. What's telling here is the recent conclusion of uh the CIA in Dr. Montallages of the US saying that the affair launched by the uh Obama administration about uh Russia's alleged use of ICTs to interfere with elections was simply a pretext that was used uh as part of a propaganda campaign to tarnish Russia's image. That's what we said from the very beginning, because it this these fakes that set the trend toward blaming Moscow for any cyber attacks. I'd like to once again point out to Western countries that in order to prevent and curtail computer attacks Russia initiated and supported the register of contact points. This mechanism allows for operative contacts to be carried out between empowered specialists from the various governments to exchange information and specific sources of harmful activities. The paradox here is that during the existence of this registry of focal points, we did not receive a single, once again, I repeat, not a single. Petition of regarding uh any responsibility of our country in cyber attacks. As for our requests through this registry of contact uh points for airplot, there were accusations about that, but we didn't receive any requests in that regard. So we're waiting for explanations on that. That's one again a reason to wonder about the real value of such accusations against us. Thank you.
🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of IranFirst reply
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have taken the floor not to dignify the baseless and outrageous accusations made by representatives of the Israeli regime, all of which I categorically reject and condemn. Such accusations, which have regrettably become a recurring pattern of distraction and deliberate distortion, don't merit a detailed response. This persistent practice of misinformation against my country seeks to obscure the Israeli regime's dark record of systematic aggression, occupation, terrorism, and atrocity, the very realities that continue to unfold in our region. I therefore don't wish to take the valuable time of this meeting to recount the numerous cyber attacks the Israeli regime has carried out against Iran's critical infrastructure, including the Stocksnet attack on Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities, as well as repeated attacks on our industrial infrastructure, such as steel and petrochemical industries, gas stations, and most recently those carried out during the Israeli regime's aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2025. Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues, instead I have taken the floor to invite all delegations to visit the photo exhibition displayed outside this room. The images provide a stark and undeniable glimpse into the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime in Gaza. They also underscore why we have consistently maintained that this regime lacks any moral standing to lecture others on any matter, including cybersecurity. I thank you, Madam Chair.
Round 2
🇷🇺 Russian FederationSecond replyin response to United Kingdom
Thank you, Distinguished Chair. We would like to exercise a right to reply, right of reply, to refute all of these groundless accusations that we've heard against us. Detailed explanations on all of these insinuations that were made. We've already provided multiple times during this session of the first committee of the UN General Assembly and see no need to repeat ourselves. We simply would like to point out to the delegation of the EU, the UK, as well that these explanations that we provided are public. So I think these delegations will be easily able to carefully read all of our well justified explanations that we have provided in response to all of the remarks that these delegations made. I think it would be quite helpful for them to read once again and to familiarize themselves with the position of the Russian Federation. And the arguments he put forward, as well as the concrete facts that we have raised in response to these insinuations that are divorced from reality with regard to the alleged violations of airspace of European states by Russian drones. Detailed commentary and explanations about that were provided by the Russian Federation at various levels, including at the very highest level of our government. And in this case, we'd like to again emphasize and repeat that all of these observations, these accusations are absolutely baseless. They are not supported by any evidence whatsoever, and none of our questions that we pose to the European countries have received an appropriate response. For our part, we underscore that the Russian armed forces carry out strikes solely against military infrastructure of the criminal Kiev regime. Targets for strikes there are no targets for strikes in European states. We have no plans for such strikes. And the maximum range of the flights of Russian drones, which allegedly had entered the airspace of certain European states, is not. Does not correspond to the distance that these drones can actually fly. That is to say that the maximum distance from the Russian border to these European states. In addition, as we have already stated many times, the Russian Federation proposed holding necessary consultations in order to explain the circumstances surrounding this topic, but we received no response from any of those states. To this day we continue to await a response to our proposals, and perhaps one day we'll finally get one. Thank you.
🇰🇵 Democratic People's Republic of KoreaFirst replyin response to United Kingdom, United States
Thank you, Madam Chair, for giving me the floor. My delegation categorically rejects the arguments from the delegations of EU and United Kingdom. DPRK has possessed and is improving its nuclear deteriorants to defend itself in response to the ever increasing nuclear threats of U.S. and its nuclear based bloc. Our defensive measures are highly legal and reciprocal. Mr. Chair. My delegation also rejects the slanders of the EU and UK on the illegal cooperation between the DPRK and Russian Federation. The Ukraine crisis has been an inevitable consequence of the relentless eastward march of NATO, which jeopardized the security interests of the Russian Federation. DPRK Armed Forces have participated in the Ghrusk Liberation Operation and made a meaningful contribution to the annihilation of neonazis and liberation of the territory of the Russian Federation. Our participation has been just, legal, enforcing into the jurisdiction of our sovereign rights. The world has witnessed what we did for justice, peace and friendship. I thank you, Mr Chair. Madam Chair. Distinguished delegates, we have exhausted the time available for this meeting today. The committee will convene tomorrow morning in this conference room to continue our thematic discussion under the cluster on regional disarmament security. The meeting is adjourned.
Verbatim from the transcript. A reply is identified from its own words, the Chair's grant, or its place in the right-of-reply sequence; delegations and addressees follow the transcript's attribution.