Iran has made it clear that it plans to respond to the recent US airstrike – but exactly when and how that response happens will be left to its military.
Diplomatic Condemnation at the U.N.
Speaking during an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani condemned the US actions and warned they had been cautioned ahead of time. “Iran had repeatedly warned the warmongering US regime to refrain from stumbling into this quagmire,” he said.
Blaming Israel for Dragging US into Conflict
Iravani accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the US into conflict for his own interests, saying Netanyahu had convinced President Donald Trump to act on Israel’s behalf. He claimed the US was doing the West’s “dirty work” and said Netanyahu had succeeded in “dragging the United States into yet another costly and baseless war.” He also described the airstrikes as “a clear and flagrant breach of international law.”
Diplomacy Destroyed Amid Talks
Iravani expressed frustration that the strikes came just as Iran’s foreign minister was engaged in diplomatic talks with European leaders. “The United States decided to destroy that diplomacy,” he said. He questioned the sincerity of Western nations calling on Iran to resume nuclear talks. “What conclusion can be drawn from this situation?” he asked. Quoting the Iranian foreign minister, he said, “From the perspective of Western countries, Iran must ‘return to the negotiating table.’ But, as Iran’s foreign minister mentioned, ‘how can Iran return to something it never left – let alone.’”
Military to Decide Iran’s Response
As for what comes next, Iran says it won’t rush a decision. Instead, its military will choose how to respond. Iravani stated that the “timing, nature and scale of Iran’s proportionate response” will be determined by the armed forces. Closing his remarks, he issued a final warning: “We will take all measures necessary.”
Details of the US Strike Operation
Following the strikes, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed the scale and precision of the mission in a Sunday briefing at the Pentagon.
“At approximately 6:40 PM EST, 2:10 AM Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped GBU 57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow,” Caine said.
“As the President stated last night, the remaining bombers then hit their targets as well with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas. All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40 PM and 7:05 PM EST (2:10 AM local time Iran) with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Isfahan to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation,” he added.
Caine outlined that the military used “several deception tactics,” including decoys, to maintain an element of surprise.
“As the Operation Midnight Hammer strike package entered Iranian airspace, the US employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the 4th and 5th generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface air missile threats,” he said.
The operation, code-named Operation Midnight Hammer, was executed by US Central Command under General Erik Kurilla’s leadership.
(With Inputs From ANI)
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