US bombs Iran nuclear sites
Agencies
Tehran/Washington
Iran has said the United States will be 'solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences' of its attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, adding that US President Donald Trump has 'betrayed' American voters by submitting to Israel's wishes.
During an address to a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US crossed 'a very big red line' by attacking Iran's three nuclear facilities.
Speaking just hours after Trump announced that US warplanes had 'obliterated' the nuclear sites, Araghchi condemned the strikes and called on the United Nations Security Council to act.
'It is an outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law,' he said, adding that the 'warmongering and lawless' US administration will be 'solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression'.
'The US military attack on the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of a UN member state carried out in collusion with the genocidal Israeli regime has once again revealed the extent of the United States' hostility towards the peace-seeking people of Iran. We will never compromise on their independence and sovereignty,' he said.
'The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to defend Iran's territory, sovereignty, and people by all means necessary against not just US military aggression, but also the reckless and unlawful actions of the Israeli regime.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who escalated the Middle East conflict by launching strikes on Iran on June 13, praised Trump's 'bold decision' to hit Iran's nuclear sites, and said Israel and the US acted in 'full coordination'.
After the strikes, Trump said Iran 'must now agree to end this war' and that under no circumstances could Iran possess a nuclear weapon.
But Araghchi said any demand to return to negotiations on the country's nuclear programme was 'irrelevant'. The US and Iran were engaged in nuclear talks before Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran – publicly backed by the US – earlier this month.
Iran denies its uranium enrichment programme is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Netanyahu has pledged to continue the attacks for 'as many days as it takes' to stop Iran from developing a 'nuclear threat'.
'The world must not forget that it was the United States which – in the midst of a process to forge a diplomatic outcome – betrayed diplomacy by supporting the genocidal Israeli regime's launch of an illegal war of aggression on the Iranian nation,' Araghchi said.
'So we were in diplomacy, but we were attacked. They gave a green light to Israelis, if not instructed them, to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. They have proved that they are not men of diplomacy, and they only understand the language of threat and force.'
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday said he still hopes Iran will return to the negotiating table.
'I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,' he told reporters.
Araghchi also accused Trump of betraying not only Iran, but his own supporters as well. He said Trump was elected on a platform of putting an end to 'America's costly involvement in 'forever wars''.
'He has betrayed not only Iran by abusing our commitment to diplomacy, but also deceived his own voters by submitting to the wishes of a wanted war criminal who has grown accustomed to exploiting the lives and wealth of American citizens to further the Israeli regime's objectives,' said Araghchi, referring to Netanyahu.
Iran says more than 400 people have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attacks on June 13. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.
Araghchi said he would head to Moscow later on Sunday and hold 'serious consultations' with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday morning in the wake of the unprecedented US strikes.
'Russia is a friend of Iran and we enjoy a strategic partnership,' he said in Istanbul. 'We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions.'
Meanwhile, Iran's delegation to the UN also formally called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday to discuss the US strikes. In a letter submitted to the council carried by Fars News Agency, the Iranian delegation urged 'immediate action and the adoption of necessary measures under the framework of the United Nations Charter'.
'Silence in the face of such blatant aggression will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos,' Araghchi said in Istanbul. 'Humanity has come too far as a species to allow a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle.'
Iran and Israel have exchanged a barrage of missiles after the United States bombed key Iranian nuclear sites, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Iran on Sunday launched two volleys of 27 missiles, targeting Israel's main Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, research facilities, and command centres, an Iranian state news agency reported.
Air raid sirens were sounded across most of Israel, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions and missile interceptions were seen above the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the port city of Haifa, and other parts of the country.
At least 20 people were wounded, according to Israeli emergency workers.
'This is certainly the first time that we have seen two volleys coming in such close succession. Usually, there are hours between each volley of missiles. This time, it was less than half an hour,' said Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan.
The targeted areas spanned the occupied Golan Heights in Syria to the Upper Galilee to northern and central Israel, affecting 10 separate sites either directly by missiles or by large shrapnel, Odeh said.
'There is extensive damage in those sites, especially in the Tel Aviv area and Haifa,' Odeh said.
Videos from Tel Aviv and Haifa towards the north showed rescue teams combing through debris, apartments reduced to rubble, mangled cars along a street filled with debris, and medics evacuating injured people from a row of blown-out houses.
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