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Iran on Wednesday strongly condemned what it described as aggressive attacks by the United States on an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island, stating that the strikes violated international law and a ceasefire understanding reached in April.
In a statement, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks were carried out in the early hours of June 3 and originated from the territory of two countries in the region. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the aggressive action by the terrorist military forces of the United States in attacking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island," the statement said. Iran stated the incidents constituted a violation of the ceasefire understanding dated April 8 between the two sides, which paved the way for talks to achieve a complete resolution to the conflict in West Asia. The Islamic Republic stated that the incident amounted to a breach of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states. The ministry also criticised what it termed the United States' use of regional countries' territory and facilities to conduct operations against Iran, while holding the governments of Kuwait and Bahrain responsible for allegedly facilitating the attacks. "While condemning the United States' colonial-style use of the territory and facilities of regional countries to advance its aggressive schemes against Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also underscores the direct and explicit responsibility of the rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain in connection with last night's aggressive acts," the statement said. Iran further asserted that any country allowing its territory, airspace, waters, facilities or military bases to be used for military operations against Iran would be considered complicit in aggression under international law. The ministry warned that Iran would exercise its right to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. "In exercising its inherent right to defend Iran's territorial integrity and national sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will utilise all available capacities to confront such aggressive actions, including through targeting the origin and source of the attacks," the statement added. Iran also said responsibility for any consequences arising from the situation would rest with what it described as the "American-Zionist aggressors" and those providing support for actions against Iran. The statement comes after the US military announced that American forces had "successfully defeated" a succession of Iranian missile and drone operations directed against neighbouring nations in the region, while simultaneously executing protective counter-strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island. In an official statement detailing the hostile engagements, US Central Command confirmed that Tehran had initiated a wave of aerial assaults across the theatre. The military command noted that "Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbours; however, all failed to hit their intended targets." Providing a specific operational breakdown of the trajectories and the subsequent defensive actions taken alongside regional allies, CENTCOM disclosed that "two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defence forces." Following those initial engagements, a fresh wave of attacks rolled into the early hours of Wednesday. Kuwaiti authorities confirmed that the nation's air defence networks actively engaged and neutralised a wave of incoming missiles and drones, following reports of loud detonations across multiple sectors of the country. The Kuwaiti Army later accused Iran of hostile drone attacks, which left several people injured and targeted the passenger building at the Kuwait International Airport. In a statement posted on X, Kuwait Ministry of Defence spokesperson Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said that several hostile drones struck Terminal 1 (T1) of Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday as part of what he described as "criminal Iranian aggression". The attack caused extensive damage to the passenger terminal and left several people injured. One Indian was also killed in the attack on the Kuwaiti airport. (ANI)
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