Iran’s FM: U.S. Strike Was ‘Outrageous, Grave, Unprecedented’
Araghchi issued a direct warning: “The US administration holds sole and full responsibility for the consequences of its actions, including the Islamic Republic of Iran's right to self-defense.” He added, “Iran reserves all options to defend its security interests and people."
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi launched a fierce condemnation of the United States on Sunday morning, accusing Washington of violating international law and endangering global security with its recent strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. In a press conference held shortly after his return from Geneva, Araghchi urged the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to take urgent and decisive action.
“Very good morning to you, ladies and gentlemen. I'm so glad to be with you this morning,” Araghchi began. He explained that he had recently concluded a round of diplomatic meetings in Geneva with representatives of the E3 (UK, France, Germany) and regional foreign ministers to discuss peaceful resolutions to ongoing tensions. However, he stated, “as all of you know, we suddenly faced with the aggression by American forces to our nuclear facilities.”
‘Outrageous, Grave, and Unprecedented’
“The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns in the strongest terms the United States' brutal military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities,” Araghchi declared. “It is an outrageous, grave, and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.”
The foreign minister characterized the U.S. administration as “warmongering and lawless,” holding it “solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression.” He said the airstrikes, which targeted sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, were carried out “in collusion with the genocidal Israeli regime.”
Araghchi asserted that the strikes had revealed “the extent of the United States hostility towards the peace-seeking people of Iran who will never compromise over their independence and sovereignty.” He pledged that “The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to defend Iran's territory, sovereignty, security, and people by all means necessary.”
Betrayal of Diplomacy
Referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier pledges to avoid foreign conflicts, Araghchi accused him of betrayal: “While president Trump was elected on a platform of putting an end to America's costly involvement of forever wars in our part of the world, he has betrayed not only Iran by abusing our commitment to diplomacy, but also deceived his own voters.”
He continued, “The US act of aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities constitutes not only a flagrant breach of the UN Charter... but also a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.”
Appeal to International Bodies
Araghchi implored the international community to act. “It cannot be emphasized enough how much of a devastating blow that the US, a permanent member of the Security Council, has dealt to the global nonproliferation regime,” he warned.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran reminds the United Nations, the Security Council, the UN Secretary General, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other relevant international bodies of their duty and responsibility to take urgent and decisive action.”
He warned that silence in the face of such actions would “plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos.”
Call for Emergency UN Session
“The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on the Security Council to convene an emergency session to unequivocally condemn the criminal act of aggression by the United States against Iran and to hold the administration in Washington accountable,” Araghchi declared.
He also leveled criticism at the IAEA, claiming its leadership had “paved the way for the current violence and bloodshed.” He called on the IAEA Board of Governors to “immediately convene and carry out its legal responsibility” in the wake of the attacks.
U.S. Accused of Undermining Diplomacy
Araghchi accused the United States of sabotaging ongoing diplomatic efforts. “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.”
“Not content with such malign actions,” he continued, “the United States itself has now also opted for a dangerous military operation and aggression against the people of Iran.”
Right to Self-Defense
Araghchi concluded with a direct warning: “The US administration holds sole and full responsibility for the consequences of its actions, including the Islamic Republic of Iran's right to self-defense.” Citing the UN Charter’s provisions on self-defense, he added, “Iran reserves all options to defend its security interests and people.”
The foreign minister’s remarks came as the international community reels from the unprecedented escalation, with multiple governments and organizations urging restraint and a return to diplomacy. The United States has maintained that its strikes were a preemptive measure to neutralize a threat from Iran’s nuclear program, a justification Tehran flatly rejects.
