Iran vows to pursue legal action after US attacked 3 nuclear sites

TEHRAN

Iran’s atomic agency strongly condemned on Sunday attacks on three of its highly fortified nuclear facilities amid rising regional tensions concerning the Iran-Israel conflict.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said In a statement that the three sites came under a “brutal assault,” that “violates international law,” particularly the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which Iran is a signatory.

The agency said the “unlawful action” was carried out because of the “indifference” or “complicity” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran registered a complaint Sunday against Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear agency, accusing him of “indecision” on Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in the past week.

The AEOI statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump took to social media to claim responsibility for the attacks on the three Iranian nuclear sites.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” said the American president.

“All planes are now outside of Iranian airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, #Fordow.”

Trump had, according to American media reports, already given his approval for military action against Iran, after Israel assassinated several high-ranking Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists last week.

Trump’s announcement came after media reports indicated the Pentagon was moving B-2 bombers from its air base in the US state of Missouri toward the Persian Gulf.

The AEOI statement said the US president has, through cyberspace, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which are “under IAEA monitoring in accordance with the Safeguards Agreement and the NPT.”

It urged the international community to condemn the “lawlessness based on jungle rules” and to stand with Iran in asserting its legitimate rights.

The agency said it has put on its agenda “all necessary actions to defend the rights of the noble Iranian people, including legal follow-up measures.”

According to observers, the attack on the nuclear facilities could lead to a dramatic escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the possibility of Iran carrying out attacks on US bases in the region or closing the Strait of Hormuz.