By Syed Zafar Mehdi
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denounced US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday as “an unprecedented and blatant act of aggression” and vowed a response to the attacks.
In a strongly worded statement, the IRGC said the US, in coordination with Israel, carried out “military and illegal strikes” on Iran’s “peaceful nuclear facilities,” calling the attacks a “clear violation of the UN Charter, international law, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the fundamental principles of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
It said the US has “provided comprehensive support and cooperation in planning and executing” Israel’s ongoing attacks on Iran.
“Once again, this act has exposed the inability of the aggressor front to create real change in the field. They lack both the initiative and the capacity to escape devastating retaliation,” the IRGC said, holding both the US and Israel responsible for the attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The IRGC said its intelligence apparatus has identified “departure points” of the aircraft that were involved in the Sunday attack, adding that the US military bases in the region are “not a source of strength but a major vulnerability.”
“We firmly state that Iran's indigenous and peaceful nuclear technology will not be eliminated by any attack. On the contrary, such acts only strengthen the determination of our young and committed scientists to pursue greater progress and development,” it stated.
- Response
In a warning, the elite force said the military operations against Israel will continue with “precision, force, and purpose, targeting its infrastructure, strategic centers, and interests.”
It also dropped hints of possible attacks on US bases in the Gulf, saying the attack on nuclear sites has granted Iran, under the legitimate right to self-defense, “an option to respond in ways that go beyond the delusional calculations of the aggressor alliance.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) also condemned the attack on the country’s nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
“The international community is expected to condemn this lawlessness based on jungle rules and to stand with Iran in asserting its legitimate rights,” it said.
“The organization has placed on its agenda all necessary actions to defend the rights of the noble Iranian people, including legal follow-up measures.”
The US 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.