Dubai: The United States attacked three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s war aimed at destroying the Iranian nuclear programme in a risky gambit to weaken a longtime foe that prompted fears of a wider regional conflict as Tehran accused Washington of launching “a dangerous war”.
US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s key nuclear sites were “completely and fully obliterated” in an address to the nation from the White House.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the time for diplomacy had passed and that his country had the right to defend itself.
Araghchi also said that “there is no red line” that the US has not crossed – and that “the most dangerous one was what happened only last night when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities only.”
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted that its nuclear programme will not be stopped.
Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes.
Satellite images taken after the American attack, analysed by The Associated Press, show damage to the entryways to the Fordo facility, which is dug deep into a mountain, while light gray smoke lingered in the air.
The images by Planet Labs PBC also appeared to show damage to the mountain itself, apparently blocking its entry tunnels, which means Iran would have to dig out the facility to reach anything inside.
It was not clear whether the US would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Iran for nine days.
Countries around the globe are calling for diplomacy and no further escalation. Trump acted without congressional authorisation, and he also warned there would be additional strikes if Tehran retaliated against US forces. “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,” he said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Washington had “betrayed diplomacy” with the military strikes in support of Israel, and said that “the US has itself launched a dangerous war against Iran” now.
Iran vows revenge
Tehran: Iran on Sunday vowed to avenge the US bombing of three of its major nuclear facilities saying the American strikes will have “everlasting consequences”.
The reaction by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came hours after the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using “bunker buster” bombs which were dropped by B-2 bombers.
The US has committed a “grave violation” of the UN Charter, international law and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations, Araghchi said.
“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 said.
Iran’s parliament has approved the closure of the key oil shipping route Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported on Sunday that the final decision will be taken by the Supreme National Security Council.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical choke points, through which a fifth of global oil and a third of the world’s liquefied natural gas supply flows. So far, most experts had agreed that Iran would not go that far to close the strait but US actions seemed to have changed that.
The strait connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The narrow channel, approximately 33 km wide at the narrowest point, separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. The shipping lanes in the waterway are even narrower to three kilometre wide in each direction, making them vulnerable to attacks and threats of being shut down, which Iranian Parliament has decided to do now.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran reserves “all options” to defend its “sovereignty, interest, and people”. Araghchi said he is travelling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On its part, Russia strongly condemned the “irresponsible” US strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, and said it “grossly” violated international law, UN Charter and UNSC resolutions.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US action has granted Iran the legitimate right to act in self-defence including “through options that go beyond the delusional calculations of the aggressor coalition”.
