Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fierce condemnation of the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, warning of a severe and uncompromising response. He accused the United States and Israel of reckless provocation and declared that both would face serious consequences. In his first public statement following the strikes, Khamenei posted on X:
“The punishment continues. The Zionist enemy has made a big mistake, committed a big crime; it must be punished and it is being punished; it is being punished right now.”
The U.S. strikes, which involved the use of 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, targeted three key nuclear facilities — including the underground Fordow site, Natanz, and Isfahan. The operation, authorized by former President Donald Trump, was the most direct and forceful Western military action against Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran described the attacks as an outright act of war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the United States in a strong statement during a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“The Americans must receive a response to their aggression,” Pezeshkian said, adding that the attacks posed a direct threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and peace in the region.
As tensions soared, Iran called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday. During the meeting, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused both the U.S. and Israel of destroying the diplomatic path and using the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty as a political weapon.
“Instead of guaranteeing parties' legitimate rights to peaceful nuclear energy, it has been exploited as a pretext for aggression and unlawful action that jeopardize the supreme interests of my country,” Iravani stated firmly before the council.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also reacted with alarm to the developments. He condemned the bombings as a dangerous escalation and urged both sides to show restraint.
“The bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States marks a perilous turn,” Guterres said.
“We must act—immediately and decisively—to halt the fighting and return to serious, sustained negotiations on the Iran nuclear programme.”
As the situation intensifies, the international community is watching closely, fearing the potential for a wider regional war.
