Iran Holds US 'Fully Responsible' For Nuclear Site Strikes: ‘We Have To Respond’

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the US is fully responsible for the consequences of strikes on the nuclear sites of the country. Addressing a news briefing at a conference in Turkey, Araghchi said that a lawless administration in Washington is responsible for the dangerous consequences.

“The warmongering, a lawless administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, as quoted by news agency The Associated Press.

This is the first public statement made by a high-ranking Iranian official since the United States carried out its strikes overnight. 

Araghchi, speaking to journalists in Istanbul, also said that while the “door to diplomacy” should always be open, “this is not the case right now.” He also claimed that with the overnight strikes on Iran, there is no red lined that the United States has not crossed in its recent actions against the Islamic Republic.

“They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities… We have to respond based on our legitimate right for self-defense,” Araghchi said.

Speaking about the future plan, the foreign minister said that he will travel to Moscow later on Sunday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that Iran enjoys a strategic partnership and that both the countries always consult and coordinate their positions.

“We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” he said, referring to Russia.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that key nuclear sites of Iran were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. strikes. Speaking at the White House hours after the attacks, he threatened more strikes and said Iran faced a choice between “peace or tragedy.”

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