The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran has accused the United States and Israel of carrying out what it described as “criminal military aggression” against its territory, vowing a decisive response from its armed forces.

In a statement issued and made available to PUNCH Online on Saturday and addressed to the Iranian people, the ministry said the attacks targeted defensive infrastructure and civilian locations in several cities, describing the strikes as a violation of the country’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

According to the statement, the alleged attacks occurred on the eve of Nowruz and on the tenth day of the holy month of Ramadan, and involved air strikes by what it referred to as the “Zionist regime” and the United States.

“This morning, the United States and the Zionist regime flagrantly violated Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty by attacking a number of targets,” the ministry said.

Iran explained that the development came while it and the United States were engaged in a diplomatic process, noting that despite being aware of what it described as intentions to carry out military action, Iran re-entered negotiations to exhaust all arguments before the international community in order to demonstrate the righteousness of the Iranian nation and the illegitimacy of any pretext for aggression.

The ministry maintained that the Iranian people “did everything necessary to prevent war,” adding that “now is the time to defend the homeland and confront the enemy’s military assault.”

It stated that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran would respond decisively and were “more prepared than ever to defend Iran’s sovereignty.”

Citing international law, the ministry argued that the attacks constituted a violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and described them as “a clear act of armed aggression” against Iran.

It added that responding to the alleged aggression was Iran’s “lawful and legitimate right under Article 51 of the UN Charter.”

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all their capabilities and resources to confront this criminal aggression and repel the enemy’s hostility,” the statement added.

Iran also called on the United Nations and its Security Council to take what it described as immediate action to address the breach of international peace and security.

It urged the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Security Council and council members to fulfil their responsibilities without delay.

The ministry further called on UN member states, particularly regional and Islamic countries and members of the Non-Aligned Movement, to “strongly condemn this act of aggression” and take urgent and collective measures in response.

Describing the moment as historic and decisive, the ministry vowed that Iran’s armed forces would not hesitate in their defence of the country.

“History bears witness that Iranians have never bowed to foreign aggression. This time, too, the response of the Iranian nation will be firm and decisive,” the statement added.