KABUL (Pajhwok): The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has vowed not to allow the country’s “national industry” — a reference to its nuclear program — to be halted, following US airstrikes on several Iranian nuclear sites.
In a statement, the AEOI condemned the strikes as violations of international law and accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of “indifference – or even complicity.”
However, the organization did not disclose the extent of the damage caused by the attacks.
Tensions in the region escalated last week when Israel launched strikes against Iran, igniting a conflict that has now entered its tenth day. Both countries continue to exchange missile and air attacks.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced that American forces had directly targeted and struck Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — marking the first official US military involvement in the conflict.
President Trump, in a national address from the White House, declared the strikes a success, saying the sites had been “completely and fully obliterated.” He added: “There will either be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran.”
On social media, Trump described the strikes as a “HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD,” and called on Iran to agree to end the hostilities.
In response, the AEOI emphasized its commitment to continue developing the country’s nuclear industry, which it said was built on the sacrifices of Iran’s “nuclear martyrs.” The agency pledged to take all necessary steps, including legal action, to defend the rights of the Iranian people.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning following the strikes, stating: “Our war begins now.”
Meanwhile, a senior official at Iran’s state broadcaster (IRIB) said all nuclear facilities had been evacuated prior to the US attacks and sustained no significant damage.
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