Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated this Monday (20) that the United States attack on the Darkhovin nuclear plant, under construction in Khuzestan province, represents an aggression against the country’s nuclear infrastructure and held Donald Trump’s government responsible for the consequences of the action.
In a publication on the X network, Gharibabadi declared that “the United States attack on the facilities under construction at the Darkhovin plant is a dangerous attack on Iran’s peaceful infrastructure and makes the American government fully responsible for the consequences arising from the worsening of insecurity and instability”.
“Iran, while vehemently condemning this aggression, will adopt appropriate measures to defend its interests and national security,” concluded the deputy minister.
In addition to condemning the attack, the Iranian government asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of the United Nations (UN), to officially comment on the case.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran expects the agency’s Board of Governors and its director general to condemn “the US crime” against the Darkhovin nuclear plant. “Iran expects the IAEA Board of Governors and the IAEA Director General (…) to clearly state their position on the matter, condemning the US crime,” Baghaei said at a press conference on Monday.
US Central Command said the offensive targeted military command centers, air defense systems, coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch areas and communications networks, with the aim of reducing Iran’s ability to attack commercial and civilian vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The command did not inform the locations affected.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two tankers exploded and halted the crossing in the southern Strait of Hormuz. According to the group, the vessels were trying to cross the region under pressure from the United States. The corporation declared that “this passage is not safe for the transport of chemical fertilizers or even a single drop of oil and gas” and added that the corridor will remain unsafe as long as US military operations in the region continue.
According to the Mehr agency, an MQ-9 drone was shot down over Kermanshah province by an air defense system from the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace force. The Tasnim agency also reported that American strikes hit an area of ​​the city of Khormoj, in southwestern Iran.
The Revolutionary Guard also said it launched ballistic missiles at US military planes at Aqaba airport in Jordan, and said several of them were hit. The group also reported that 20 hangars housing American forces at the Muwaffaq Salti air base in Azraq were destroyed.
The United States embassy in Bahrain reported that it received information about a possible threat against locations in the central region of Manama and advised US citizens to remain alert, follow the guidance of local authorities and seek shelter if sirens or explosions are recorded.
The UK Maritime Operations Agency said a vessel caught fire about 15 kilometers northwest of Kumzar, Oman. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed and authorities have advised vessels to navigate with caution while the case is investigated.
President Donald Trump said the attacks were carried out in honor of fallen US military personnel. “We hit them really hard again tonight and we did it in honor of the great patriots,” he said. When commenting on the deaths, Trump stated that soldiers died so that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will end the war when it has “the advantage on the ground.” According to him, “the end of the war is possible through an absolute military victory or through negotiations. The right time to negotiate is precisely when a reliable achievement has been achieved in the field and on the strategic plan of the military front.”
Araghchi also declared that “you cannot take risks with people’s lives and the fate of the entire country. Decisions must be made based on precise and complete calculations.”
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
