Iran says Israel's actions a 'declaration of war' and accuses US of supporting strikes

Ambassador tells UN Security Council 78 people, including civilians, killed

Smoke billows from explosions after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Photo: UGC video screengrab

Iran’s envoy to the UN accused the US on Friday of providing full political and intelligence support to Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, calling the attacks a “declaration of war” that killed dozens, including civilians.

Iranian ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council that 78 people had been killed in the strikes, with more than 320 others injured.

“The majority of them are civilians, including women and children,” he said.

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“We will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war.”

He accused Israel of seeking to derail nuclear deal negotiations with the US and escalate tension in the region.

“This aggression was intentional, co-ordinated and fully backed by a permanent member of this council,” he said. “The United States’ complicity in this terrorist attack is beyond doubt."

Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the strikes on Iran were an act of "national preservation” which it undertook alone.

“Imagine what the head of the snake [Iran] would do with a nuclear warhead?” he said. “We acted because history has taught us that silence is complicity and hesitation is fatal.”

He told the council that Israeli intelligence had confirmed that Iran could have produced enough fissile material for several nuclear bombs within days.

“We struck the core of the nuclear programme, the underground enrichment facilities at Natanz. This facility was operating at a military grade capacity. Intelligence confirmed that within days, Iran could have produced enough material for multiple bombs,” he said.

On Thursday, Iran was censured by the UN’s nuclear watchdog for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

US senior State Department official McCoy Pitt told the council that Washington was informed in advance of Israel’s strikes on Iranian targets but was not militarily involved.

Mr Pitt said Israel had advised the US that “this action” was necessary for its self-defence.

“Every sovereign nation has the right to defend itself, and Israel is no exception,” he said. “President [Donald] Trump has repeatedly said, this dangerous regime cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons.”

He added that Washington continues to pursue a diplomatic solution aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons or “threatening” regional stability.

“Iran’s leadership would be wise to negotiate at this time,” he asserted.

The Isfahan nuclear power plant, south of Tehran, seen in 2005. AFP

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog told the Security Council that the aboveground section of Iran’s pilot fuel enrichment plant at Natanz where uranium was being enriched up to 60 per cent has been destroyed in recent Israeli strikes.

“This facility houses both the main fuel enrichment plant and the pilot enrichment plant,” said International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi.

Mr Grossi said radiation levels at the Natanz site remained unchanged, with no external radiological impact on the population or the environment. However, he warned of contamination risks within the facility.

“There is radiological and chemical contamination inside the Natanz facilities due to the impacts,” he said.

Mr Grossi also said that Iranian authorities informed them of attacks on two other nuclear facilities, Fordow and Isfahan, “where a fuel plate fabrication plant, a fuel manufacturing plant, a uranium conversion facility … are located”.

Russia strongly condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran, with its ambassador saying the "military adventure pushes the region to the brink of a large-scale war, and the responsibility for all of the consequences of these actions lies fully with the Israeli leadership and those who encourage them".

“One is left with the impression that the leadership of Israel is convinced that they have a completely free hand in the region, and they probably think that Israel can flout any legal norms and replace all international bodies, including the Security Council and IAEA,” Vasily Nebenzya said.

China’s ambassador Fu Cong urged Israel to immediately cease all military “adventurism” and called on countries with “significant” influence over Israel to play a “constructive” role.