RUSSIA on Sunday strongly condemned the “irresponsible” US strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, asserting that it “grossly violates” international law, UN Charter and UNSC resolutions. The US bombed three major nuclear sites -- Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan -- in Iran earlier in the day, bringing itself into the Israel-Iran conflict. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, “The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes,nomatter what arguments are used, grossly violates international law, the UN Charter, and the resolutionsoftheUNSecurityCouncil, which previously unequivocally qualified such actions as unacceptable.” Without naming the US, the Ministry said it was “especially alarming” that the strikes were carried out by “a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

 

It also called for the “collective” rejection of the “confrontational actions” of the US and Israel. Noting that while the consequencesofthebombing,including radiological ones, are yet to be assessed, the ministry said it was“already obvious that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security”. The risk of an escalation of conflict in the Middle East, already engulfed in multiple crises, has “increased significantly”, it said. Following the bombing, US PresidentDonaldTrumpsaidthe Iranian nuclear facilities were “completely and totally obliterated”. He also warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliated.

 

The Russian foreign ministry said that the damage caused by the US attack on the global nonproliferation regime based on the Treaty on the NonProliferationofNuclearWeapons (NPT) is “of particular concern”. “The attacks on Iran have causedenormousdamagetothe credibility of the NPT and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) verification and monitoring system based on it,” the statement said. Russiaexpectsa“prompt,professional, and honest reaction from the agency’s leadership without evasive phrases and attempts to hide behind political ‘equidistance’,” it said. TheMinistrystressedtheneed foran“objectivereport”fromthe IAEA Director General for consideration at a special session of theagency,whichitsaidisscheduled to take place very shortly. “Of course, the UN Security Councilmustalsoreact.Theconfrontational actions of the US and Israel must be collectively rejected,” it said.

 

THE Israel-Iran conflict has entered a “decisive phase” after the US bombed three major Iranian nuclear sites Sunday morning, feel strategic affairs experts with some of them arguing it was Washington’s “responsibility” to not get involved in the Military standoff. The US attacked Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan, bringing itself into theIsrael-Iranconflict. Later, US PresidentDonaldTrumpsaidthe Iranian nuclear sites were “totally obliterated”. Former diplomat and author Rajiv Dogra criticised the US move and said only time will tell whether there has been a “radiationleakorifthathasbeencontained in one way or the other” after the strikes.

 

 

LEFT parties on Sunday strongly condemned the US strikes on nuclear sites in Iran and said the move was a grave violation of Iranian sovereignty and the UN Charter. In a statement issued here, the Left parties said the US action will inflame global tensions,destabiliseWestAsiaand have severe economic repercussions. “The undersigned five Left parties strongly condemn the UnitedStates’bombingofIran. This is a grave violation of IraniansovereigntyandtheUN Charter, and it will inflame global tensions, destabilise West Asia and have severe economic repercussions,” they said in the statement.

 

The statement was jointly issuedby the CPI (M), CPI, CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc. The five Left parties said the USandIsraelarejustifyingtheir attacks by claiming that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, however, it is important to note that the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on June 19 that they did not have any proof of a systematic effort on Iran’s part to develop a nuclear weapon.