The US military has joined Israeli forces in their airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites
FILE PHOTO © Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
Tehran has accused Washington of a “grave violation” of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty after the US military joined Israeli forces in their week-long airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites.
President Trump announced the first US strikes in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night, local time in Washington. “A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote, adding that other targets included Natanz and Esfahan.
In the same post and several follow-up messages, the US leader urged Tehran not to retaliate and to engage in talks, claiming it was now “time for peace.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has condemned the US airstrikes as a violation of all international treaties, stating that “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people.”
Tehran has previously warned Washington and other third parties against joining the conflict, threatening to target any hostile assets and weapons shipments bound for Israel. A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis has also warned that if the US becomes involved, the group “will target its warships in the Red Sea.”
READ MORE: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT AS IT UNFOLDED OVER THE PAST WEEK
Israel launched its Operation Rising Lion as a “preemptive” strike, supposedly aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Tehran, which has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, called the attack an act of war and has responded with missile and drone strikes of its own.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 430 Iranians and injured more than 3,500 civilians so far, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Israeli officials have reported 25 deaths and over 2,500 injuries.
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22 June 2025
06:52 GMT
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned “the brutal US military aggression against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities,” calling it an “unprecedented” violation of the UN Charter and international law.
“The war-mongering and law-breaking US government [is] responsible for the extremely dangerous effects and consequences of this great crime,” the ministry said in a statement.
Tehran “considers it its right to resist with all its might against US military aggression,” which was carried out “with the criminal complicity” of Israel, it said.
The American strikes have “once again demonstrated the height of the filth and vileness prevailing in US policy and the depth of the hostility and hatred” towards the Iranian people, the statement read.
The ministry called upon the UN Security Council and the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency to hold emergency meetings in order to condemn the US and hold it accountable for the attack on Iran.
- 05:01 GMT
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to what he described as the United States’ “heinous attacks and illegal use of force” against Iran.
In a letter to the Council, Iravani urged it to “take all necessary measures” to hold the US accountable under international law and the UN Charter.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns and denounces in the strongest possible terms these unprovoked and premeditated acts of aggression,” he wrote, referring to the US strikes and the preceding Israeli attack on June 13.
- 04:47 GMT
The Israel Defense Forces have detected several missiles launched from Iran toward Israel, triggering sirens across multiple areas. The IDF stated that the Israeli Air Force is “operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat,” and urged the public to follow instructions from the Home Front Command.
- 04:43 GMT
Several Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized President Trump’s decision to strike Iran, with some calling the move illegal and grounds for impeachment.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Trump has “impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,” calling the strikes “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar described the operation as “a dangerous and reckless escalation of an already volatile conflict” and called for “this madness” to end before more lives are lost.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari labeled the action “illegal” and said she would push for an emergency session of Congress to vote on the War Powers Resolution.
- 04:31 GMT
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged enforcement of the War Powers Act, stating that “no president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.”
- 04:23 GMT
Iranian Foreign Minister diplomat Seyed Abbas Araghchi has condemned the US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a “grave violation” of international law, warning that Tehran reserves all options to respond under the right to self-defense.
“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 behavior,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
“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,” he said. “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.”
- 03:54 GMT
The strikes on Iranian nuclear sites marked the first-ever combat use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 30,000-pound “bunker-buster” bomb, The New York Times reports. According to the US Air Force, the MOP is designed to destroy targets hidden in heavily fortified facilities and can only be deployed by the B‑2 Spirit stealth bomber.
- 03:47 GMT
In an official statement released early Sunday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed that US airstrikes hit its nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan at dawn, calling the raid an illegal and “brutal” act.
Iranian authorities criticized Washington for publicly claiming responsibility for the attacks on sites that had been operating under the supervision of international inspectors.
“This act… was unfortunately carried out in the shadow of indifference and even with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the statement claimed.
- 03:42 GMT
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued “an urgent call for diplomatic dialogue for peace” following its neighbor’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, citing the country’s pacifist principles and urging de-escalation in the Middle East.
- 03:30 GMT
Iran’s Center for the National Nuclear Safety System has announced that emergency inspections had been conducted at all three sites targeted by the US overnight, assuring the public that no radioactive contamination or leaks has been detected.
“Following the criminal American attack on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites, which is contrary to international laws, including the NPT Treaty and other international regulations related to nuclear safety and security; the center immediately conducted the necessary investigations regarding the possibility of the spread of nuclear contamination around the aforementioned sites,” the center said.
“Considering the measures taken and the previous planning, as well as the information recorded by the radioactive material detection systems, no signs of contamination have been recorded. Therefore, there is no danger to the residents living around the aforementioned sites,” it added.
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