Iran's Foreign Ministry issues statement after US strikes

Iran's Foreign Ministry has issued a formal statement condemning US military strikes carried out against areas in southern Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, June 10, describing them as a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and confirming that Iran's armed forces struck US bases and assets in the region in response.

According to the statement, the United States carried out savage attacks against locations in southern Iran, using as a pretext the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.

The Foreign Ministry said the attacks constituted a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the fundamental prohibition on the use of force in international relations, and described the action as a further demonstration of the criminal and warmongering nature of the American ruling establishment.

In response to the US military aggression against Iran and the blatant violation of Iranian national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Iran's Armed Forces exercised their inherent right to self-defence and struck US bases and assets in the region that served as the origin of the attacks.

The Foreign Ministry reminded all regional countries, in particular those on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, of their legal and moral responsibility to prevent the US military and Israel from using their territory, facilities, or logistics infrastructure to plan, organise, execute or support aggressive operations against Iran.

Iran, the statement said, will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defence, including by targeting the origin of attacks and bases and logistical facilities used to support operations against Iran.

The Foreign Ministry also reiterated the responsibility of the United Nations, and in particular the Security Council and the Secretary-General, to safeguard international peace and security and to hold the aggressing parties accountable.