Iran U.N. Desak Asks US And Israel To Account For June's Attack

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (Wikimedia Commons/Mehr News Agency/Hamed Michelpour)

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United Nations to take "precise action" against the United States and Israel over a military attack on Tehran's nuclear site in June.

Foreign Minister Araghchi said on Thursday US President Donald Trump and other American officials were subjected to "criminal responsibility" for the attack, after the White House leader declared last week, he directed Israel's initial attack on June 13.

In a letter dated 11 November circulated to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Araghchi said Israel and the US must submit to the reparasion, including restitution and compensation for the damage caused in Iran.

President Trump said on November 6, he was "very responsible" for Israel's initial attack on Iran.

Foreign Minister Araghchi claims President Trump's statement is clear evidence of US command during Iran's 12-day war with Israel, which Iranian state media say killed more than 900 people, including military officials.

"This is without prejudice against individual criminal responsibility of all individuals, including in the Israeli regime, which engages in leading, ordering, committing, or helping, conspiring, and in other ways assisting in the implementation of war crimes," Foreign Minister Araghchi said, quoted from The National 14 November.

The UN's demands to act are in contrast to recent calls by US and Iranian leaders for resolutions to their decades-old conflict.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday Iran wanted to reach a peace nuclear deal with the US.

Last month, President Trump said Washington was ready to make a deal after Tehran was ready to do so, adding: "Hands of friendship and open cooperation."

Tehran and Washington held several rounds of negotiations earlier this year, mediated by Oman, aimed at reaching an agreement that would limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.

However, three days before the sixth round of negotiations in June, Israel attacked Iranian nuclear and military sites, as well as its military leaders.

Uncle Sam's country recently joined the war by bombing three nuclear sites, two days before President Trump announced the ceasefire had been agreed.

He claimed the attack destroyed Iran's nuclear program, but the true level of damage remains unclear.