ISTANBUL

Iraq warned of grave consequences on Sunday from US airstrikes on three nuclear sites inside Iran, calling the attacks an escalation “that goes beyond the borders of any country.”

In a statement, Iraqi government spokesman Basim al-Awadi condemned the direct US involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

“Wars leave nothing but destruction, and the responsibility of major powers and international bodies must be to spare the world further crises, not ignite them,” he said.

The spokesman strongly condemned the US strikes on the Iranian nuclear sites, warning that military escalation “poses a serious threat to security and peace in the Middle East and exposes regional stability to grave risks.”

Military solutions “cannot be an alternative to dialogue and diplomacy,” he stressed.

The Iraqi spokesman warned that continued military attacks will lead to “dangerous escalation with consequences that go beyond any country’s borders and affect the stability of the region and the world.”

He called on all parties involved in the conflict to “immediately calm tensions, open urgent diplomatic channels to contain the situation, and work to defuse the crisis.”

US President Donald Trump said early Sunday that his forces bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

The attacks came as the latest escalation in a US-backed Israeli military assault on Iran since June 13, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel.

Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.

Meanwhile, in Iran, 430 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in the Israeli assault, according to the Iranian Health Ministry.