Tehran, Jun 22: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday issued a scathing condemnation of the United States, accusing it of committing a "grave violation" of the UN Charter, international law, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) after American forces, in coordination with Israel, carried out precision military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities.

Araghchi's strong response followed US President Donald Trump's announcement late Saturday that the United States had struck the Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites in a joint operation with Israel.

The move marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, which began when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on June 13.

"The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations," Araghchi posted on X.

"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour," he added.

Invoking Iran's right under international law, he warned, "In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defence, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."

Hours earlier, Trump hailed the US military's execution of the operation, declaring it a necessary action to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear capabilities.

Addressing a media briefing just hours after the strikes on Saturday (US time), Trump stated, "I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on a operation, the likes of which the world has not seen in many many decades. Hopefully we no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope so."

"This cannot continue. There will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left."

The US President asserted that the strikes were aimed at crippling Iran's "nuclear enrichment capacity and put a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror."

Despite weeks of diplomatic efforts to renegotiate a nuclear agreement with Tehran -- following the US withdrawal from the 2015 accord in 2018 -- Trump has now thrown full support behind Israel's military campaign against Iran's nuclear infrastructure and high-ranking military officials, a campaign launched a little over a week ago.

In his statement, Trump extended gratitude to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done."

The air conflict between the two nations erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran.

Israeli authorities claimed the offensive was a preemptive measure to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Iran has consistently denied.

The conflict has since raised tensions across the region, already on edge following Israel's prolonged war in Gaza since October 2023.

The latest exchange has now drawn in the United States in a direct military capacity.

Iranian state media confirmed that parts of the Fordow nuclear facility were hit in what it called "enemy strikes," though further details on the extent of the damage remain limited.

(IANS)

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