Iran has asserted its “complete and lawful right” to retaliate against the United States following what it described as “premeditated and unprovoked” military strikes on its nuclear facilities. Speaking at an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Monday, Iran’s ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani condemned the attacks as a grave violation of international law and Iranian sovereignty.
The U.S. airstrikes targeted key nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow early Sunday, and were later acknowledged by former President Donald Trump via social media. Iran denounced the attacks as coordinated aggression, linking them with recent Israeli strikes that Tehran claims have resulted in the deaths of over 400 civilians.
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“The Islamic Republic of Iran is an independent and peace-seeking nation,” Iravani said during the session. “Yet we are left with no choice but to respond, as is our right under Article 51 of the UN Charter.” He called the U.S. justification for the strikes “false, absurd, and legally void,” and described the incidents as a coordinated campaign by Washington and Tel Aviv.
The Iranian envoy also sharply criticized what he called the “double standards” of international institutions, including the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing them of remaining silent in the face of what he called “a moral, political, and legal disgrace.”
Global calls for de-escalation are growing louder as the situation threatens to spiral into a broader regional conflict, with Iran signaling that any future response will be grounded in international law — but firm in execution.
