Iran Accuses US of Escalating Military Aggression and War Crimes
In a statement released on July 16, Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned a significant intensification of hostile US actions over the past week. The statement alleges that these operations targeted not only military objectives but also deliberately struck civilian facilities and critical infrastructure, including bridges and power plants.
Attacks on Civilian Targets Constitute War Crimes
The Iranian statement emphasized that strikes on non-military infrastructure blatantly violate international law and amount to war crimes. "The repeated threats and actual attacks on civilian infrastructure clearly reveal the criminal intent of the US ruling establishment," the statement read. Iran asserts that the planners and perpetrators of these acts cannot evade legal responsibility or moral condemnation by citing 'orders from superiors.'
Three Diplomatic Betrayals Within a Year
The statement further accused the United States of bad faith in diplomacy, marking what it called the third time in a year that Washington has openly reneged on commitments during negotiation processes. A recently signed bilateral memorandum of understanding was reportedly violated by the US side unilaterally merely 20 days after its signing, under what Iran termed "preposterous pretexts."
Iran's Foreign Ministry placed full responsibility for this breach on the US government and called on the international community to witness this pattern of broken promises.
Iran Issues Direct Warning to Regional States
The concluding section of the statement delivered a direct warning to the international community, particularly Iran's southern neighbors along the Persian Gulf. Iran urged these states to fulfill their responsibility to prevent their territories and military facilities from being used by the United States to prepare for and carry out acts of aggression against Iran.
Analysts suggest this stance aims to diplomatically and geopolitically isolate US military operations and hinder the formation of a broader regional coalition for action against Iran.