Tehran, Jan. 14 -- Iran has formally appealed to the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, accusing the United States of inciting violence, interfering in Iran's internal affairs, and threatening military action, according to an official letter circulated by Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN.

In the letter, Iran's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, expressed what he described as grave concern over recent remarks by the President of the United States directed at protests inside Iran. Tehran claims the comments encouraged unrest and suggested external support for attempts to seize state institutions, which Iranian officials argue amounts to an explicit threat against the country's sovereignty ...