By Jasper Ward

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reacts during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, (not seen) in Cairo, Egypt, September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Nov 13 (Reuters) – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for the United Nations to impose “appropriate measures” against the United States and Israel over military strikes in June against Iran’s nuclear sites. Araghchi said that President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials bear “criminal responsibility” for the strikes after Trump’s statement last week that he directed Israel’s initial attack on Iran on June 13.

In a letter on Wednesday to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the U.N. Security Council, Araghchi said Israel and the United States must be subject to reparations, including restitution and compensation for the damage caused in Iran. Spokespersons for the U.S. mission to the U.N. and for Guterres’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump told reporters on November 6 that he was “very much in charge” of Israel’s initial strike on Iran.

Araghchi said Trump’s comment constitutes clear evidence of U.S. control during Iran’s 12-day air war with Israel, which Iranian state media says killed more than 900 people, including Iranian military officials. “This is indeed without prejudice to individual criminal responsibility of all those individuals, including within the Israeli regime, involved in commanding, ordering, committing, or aiding, abetting, and otherwise assisting in the commission of the war crimes,” Araghchi said. The demand for UN action contrasts with recent calls by U.S. and Iranian leaders for a resolution to their decades-long conflict. Araghchi’s deputy said earlier this week that Iran wants to reach a peaceful nuclear agreement with the United States.

Trump said last month the United States was prepared to make a deal with Iran when Tehran was ready to do so, adding: “The hand of friendship and cooperation is open.”

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Jasper Ward is a breaking news reporter in Washington. She primarily covers national affairs and U.S. politics. Jasper was previously based in The Bahamas where she covered the collapse of FTX and the subsequent arrest of its founder Sam Bankman-Fried. She was a part of the Reuters team that won the Gerald Loeb Award for breaking news for its FTX coverage.

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