Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a strong warning to U.S. leaders Thursday, asserting that Tehran would hold America accountable for any Israeli attacks on its nuclear infrastructure.

The minister penned a letter to the United Nations, responding to reports that indicated Israel was preparing to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities if negotiations between Tehran and Washington broke down. Mr. Araghchi wrote that if its nuclear facilities are damaged as a result of Israeli strikes, Iran would blame the U.S.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will take all necessary measures to protect and defend its citizens, interests, and facilities against any terrorist or sabotage acts. Iran again warns strongly against any reckless acts by the Zionist Israeli regime and will respond decisively to any threats or violations by it,” he wrote. “Iran holds that if any attack is carried out against its nuclear facilities, the U.S. government will also bear legal responsibility.”

Mr. Araghchi also said Iran would take necessary measures to protect its nuclear facilities from airstrikes and would inform the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In coordination, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a similarly aggressive statement Thursday proclaiming that Israel would receive a “devastating and decisive response” if it attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Both statements underscore the weight of Iran’s enrichment capabilities in the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. U.S. negotiators, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, have maintained that their main goal is to prevent Iran from maintaining a nuclear weapon and have publicly demanded that Iran cease all enrichment.

Iran has insisted that such demands are unreasonable and that it has the right to nuclear enrichment. Earlier this week, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said he did not expect talks with the U.S. to succeed if negotiators continued to insist on blocking Iran’s enrichment program.

Iran’s enrichment program has grown substantially since President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era 2015 nuclear deal during his first term. While Iranian officials assert that the country’s enrichment program is completely peaceful, nuclear watchdogs say the Islamic Republic is only a few steps away from developing nuclear weapons. 

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.