On July 16 local time, Iran’s Foreign Ministry website released a statement condemning the recent series of U.S. military strikes against Iran, calling these illegal attacks a violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law.
The statement says that over the past few days, while announcing a maritime blockade against Iran, the U.S. has intensified its military strikes, “committing numerous war crimes, especially attacks on civilian facilities and infrastructure.”
It points out that targeting infrastructure like bridges and power plants, as well as civilian objectives, violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, and those responsible should be held accountable under the law.
The statement emphasizes that Iran will take all measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity against U.S. and Israeli attacks, without hesitation.
It adds that the U.S. launched military action just as Iran was engaged in diplomatic contacts with relevant parties, breaching prior memorandums of understanding and disrupting the diplomatic process—consequences the U.S. must bear.
Furthermore, the statement calls on all nations, especially those along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, to prevent the U.S. from using their territories and facilities to prepare and carry out aggression against Iran. Iran’s defensive strikes against bases and facilities used for military action against it are in line with the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The statement urges these neighboring states to immediately stop allowing their land, waters, and airspace to be used for military operations against Iran, in order to prevent further escalation of regional conflict and to ensure that U.S. and Israeli plots to sow division and suspicion among regional nations do not succeed.
It stresses that Iran holds no hostility toward its neighbors and firmly believes that lasting regional security can only be achieved through enhanced dialogue and cooperation among regional countries, free from U.S. military presence, destructive interference, and malicious schemes.