Iran Calls US Strikes on Civilian Sites a 'War Crime', Vows Retaliation

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned recent US military action against civilian infrastructure, calling the strikes a flagrant breach of international law and a 'war crime'.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ministry said US forces attacked telecommunications towers and other civilian sites across the provinces of Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, and Kerman on Tuesday night.

The ministry specifically highlighted an attack on a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, in Hormozgan's Sirik County, which it said left more than 70 people dead or wounded, most of them women and children.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei directly labelled the wedding strike a 'war crime'. In a social media post, he said the true face of the conflict is visible in Sirik, where a wedding was bombed, rather than in what he called AI-generated videos portraying American officials as triumphant.

In response, Tehran said its armed forces, citing the inherent right of self-defence under the UN Charter, launched 'defensive and devastating strikes' against US military bases that it claims served as launch points for the aggression.

Iran has urged regional countries to deny the US use of their facilities, territory, or airspace for such operations. It also called on the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General to act to prevent further escalation.

Separately, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would only consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz after the US fulfils its commitments. He added that Iran does not rule out negotiations but views them as a tool of struggle, and that Tehran and its 'axis of resistance' allies will continue to oppose the US and Israel.