Iran officials condemn 'heinous' US attacks on nuclear sites, threaten 'repercussions'

US attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday were met with harsh condemnation from senior Iranian officials who vowed retaliation.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the strikes which hit facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. "in the strongest terms," saying that they were a "heinous crime not only against Iran, but also against international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and a blow to international peace and security".

Araghchi, who is in Istanbul for talks on Israel’s war against Iran with counterparts from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said Washington will "bear full responsibility for the grave repercussions and consequences of this aggressive act".

He said: "Our armed forces are on high alert. Iran will never give up its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Iran will continue to firmly defend its land, sovereignty, and people, and in this regard, it will use all possible and necessary tools and solutions."

He lashed out at Trump for claiming that he did not want to involve the US in any wars during his presidential campaign.

"But through his aggressive actions, he has not only betrayed these promises, but has actually become a criminal by adopting a hostile approach."

He also called on the UN Security Council to formerly condemn the US, and criticised the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) for "greenlighting" the US's actions.

The US struck the key nuclear sites in central Iran in a surprise attack in the early hours of Sunday morning. Trump announced the attacks in a public address, claiming to have "obliterated" the sites.

Separately, on X, Araghchi questioned returning to the negotiations with the US concerning the country’s nuclear programme, which have now been suspended as a consequence of the conflict. 

Washington and Tehran had been participating in direct and indirect talks over the months but had not yet reached an agreement.

"When we were negotiating with America, and when we negotiated with the European Troika and the European Union, they decided to destroy this diplomacy." He continued, "What can we conclude from this situation?"

Araghchi, however, said that Iran would "still respond" to messages from the US if necessary, should they receive any. 

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, also condemned the US' strikes on nuclear sites, who said the strikes on Sunday showed that Washington was "behind" Israel’s recent assaults on the country.

"This aggression showed that America is the main factor behind the Zionist regime’s hostile actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran," the official IRNA news agency said on Sunday, adding that the United States acted after seeing Israel’s "obvious inability".

"America initially tried to cover up its role in the Israeli aggression," he said but "after our firm responses and seeing Israel's impotence, it was forced to intervene".

Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ commander-in-chief, Mohammad Pakpour, said the IRCG’s attacks on Israel will continue and they "will deprive the Zionists of peace".

He said the US' attacks have increased "unity among the people more and more".

Pakpour was appointed following the death of Hossein Salami, who was killed following during Israel’s initial attack on Iran on 13 June.

The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, went on to stress that Iran's nuclear industry "will not stop advancing" and that the country will "compensate" for any losses suffered.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a proxy war over the decades, with tensions escalating during Israel's war in Gaza. Tehran and Tel Aviv had exchanged a number of strikes against each other, before erupting into a full-blown conflict on 13 June.

Over 430 people have been killed in Iran by Israel's strikes since, including a number of high-profile military commanders and scientists. In Israel, at least 25 people have been killed.