Middle East

Iran says US has begun a ‘dangerous war’ with strikes on nuclear sites

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday said the United States has initiated a “dangerous war against Iran” after American warplanes struck three of the country’s nuclear facilities, escalating tensions across the region and drawing sharp condemnation from Tehran.

In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Foreign Ministry said the strikes — which targeted sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan — violated international law and the United Nations Charter. It warned of “grave consequences and dire repercussions” and said the US bore “full responsibility” for the outcome of what it called a “heinous crime.”

“The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy,” the ministry said, accusing Washington of undermining negotiations and enabling “a genocidal and lawless regime,” in reference to Israel.

The ministry further asserted that Iran had a “legitimate right to fully and resolutely resist” what it described as US military aggression and to defend its national security “by all necessary means.”

Iran called on the United Nations and its affiliated bodies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, to respond to what it described as “a flagrant and criminal act of illegality.” The ministry urged the U.N. Security Council to convene an emergency session to condemn the strikes.

The comments mark Tehran’s most forceful diplomatic response since the US strikes on Saturday night, which Trump said were aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The Iranian government has denied any effort to develop nuclear weapons and says its program is for peaceful purposes.