Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday accused the United States of complicity in Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and called on Washington to publicly condemn the strikes.
“We have received messages through various channels claiming the U.S. was not involved in the attacks. But we do not believe this, and we possess evidence to the contrary,” Araghchi told reporters and foreign envoys in Tehran on Sunday.
He insisted that the Israeli operations could not have taken place without what he called a “green light” from Washington, and said the United States must take responsibility for its role.
The minister’s comments come two days after Israel launched aerial invasion of Iran.
“We have solid evidence indicating that American forces and bases in the region have supported the attacks by the Israeli regime’s military forces,” Araghchi said.
He also referred to remarks by US President Donald Trump, who said the Israeli strikes were not possible without American equipment and that more raids were on the agenda.
“Therefore, in our view, the US is a partner in these attacks and it must accept its responsibility. Of course, we have focused on targets inside the Zionist regime in response to the attacks,” Araghchi added.
The Israeli aggression against Iran could not have occurred without the agreement and support of the United States, he said.
Meanwhile, the top Iranian diplomat said that Israel had “crossed a new red line” in international law by targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Unfortunately, he noted, the serious Israeli violation was met with “indifference” at the United Nations Security Council.
Araghchi further emphasized that Iran’s response to Israeli attacks was based on the principle of self-defense in international relations and that every country has the legitimate right to defend itself against aggression.
He also said that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors will on Monday hold an emergency meeting on the Israeli attack on the Natanz nuclear site, expressing hope that it will condemn the raid as a flagrant violation of international law.
Additionally, the foreign minister stressed that Iran does not want the war with Israel to expand to other countries or the region “unless it’s imposed on us.”
“Basically, we did not initiate this war and we were pursuing diplomacy regarding our nuclear program, but this aggression was imposed on us. We are defending ourselves and this defense is completely legitimate,” he said. “Therefore, if the aggression stops, our reactions will naturally stop as well,” he said.
Also in his remarks, Araghchi highlighted Iran-US indirect nuclear talks and Israel’s disruption of the diplomatic process.
“It is absolutely clear that the Israeli regime does not want any agreement on the nuclear issue… The aggression against Iran amid nuclear talks demonstrates that the Israeli regime is opposed to any form of negotiation,” he pointed out.
The US government should condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites if Washington wants to prove its goodwill and distance itself from the conflict, he concluded.
