Iran reserves ‘all options’ after US attack: LIVE UPDATES

The US military has joined Israeli forces in their week-long airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites

Tehran has accused Washington of a “grave violation” of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty after the US military joined Israeli forces in their week-long airstrike campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites.

President Trump announced the first US strikes in a post on Truth Social on Saturday night. “A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” Trump wrote, adding that other targets included Natanz and Esfahan.

In the same post and several follow-up messages, the US leader urged Tehran not to retaliate and to engage in talks, claiming it was now “time for peace.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the US airstrikes as a violation of all international treaties, stating that “Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people.”

Tehran has previously warned Washington and other third parties against joining the conflict, threatening to target any hostile assets and weapons shipments bound for Israel. A spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthis has also warned that if the US becomes involved, the group “will target its warships in the Red Sea.”

READ MORE: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT AS IT UNFOLDED OVER THE PAST WEEK

Israel launched its Operation Rising Lion as a “preemptive” strike, allegedly aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Tehran, which has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, called the attack an act of war and responded with missile and drone strikes of its own.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 430 Iranians and injured more than 3,500 civilians, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Israeli officials have reported 25 deaths and over 2,500 injuries.