Following the recent U.S. military strikes on three major nuclear enrichment sites, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Sunday that Tehran reserves all options to protect its sovereignty and citizens. He termed the U.S. attacks, which targeted facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, as “outrageous.”
In a related development, Iran has initiated its 20th wave of missile and drone strikes against Israeli military targets, as reported by the state-owned media outlet Fars. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alerted the public on Sunday about sirens sounding due to ongoing Iranian offensives and disclosed that they had commenced their own missile attacks in western Iran.
The hostilities between the two nations have escalated since Israel’s recent surprise attack on Iran, heightening tensions in a region long fraught with geopolitical strife.
Araghchi expressed through social media that the U.S. military action would have “everlasting consequences” and emphasized that every United Nations member should be alarmed by what he described as “extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior.” He asserted, “In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”
In a speech on Saturday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump labeled the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites a “spectacular military success” that had “completely obliterated” critical enrichment facilities. However, Trump’s assertions regarding the effectiveness of the operation have yet to be independently verified. As of Sunday morning, both the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran’s nuclear safety center reported no signs of radiation or contamination at the nuclear sites following the attacks.