ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said that the US must bear responsibility for the Friday Israeli attack on Iran that has prompted an intense exchange of fire between the regional foes.

"In our opinion, America is considered a partner in these attacks and must accept its responsibility," said Araghchi in a meeting with foreign ambassadors in his country on Sunday.

Tensions have escalated between Iran and Israel over the past two days, after Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, targeting military bases and nuclear facilities and killing dozens of top Iranian officials and commanders. Iran responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones later in the evening, targeting Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel.

Following the Israeli strikes, Trump said that “the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it,” in a post on Truth Social, adding that “certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now.”

“The most important of all these pieces of evidence are the statements of the US President [Donald Trump], who has clearly declared his support in his tweets,” said the Iranian foreign minister, noting that Trump has “clearly stated that without American equipment, these attacks would not have been possible and has also announced that further steps are on the agenda.”

Iran and the US were set to hold a sixth round of negotiations around Iran’s nuclear program in Muscat on Sunday, after five rounds that were described positively by both sides. The talks have been postponed with Araghchi calling their continuation “unjustifiable” amid the escalations with Israel.

The US president on Saturday clarified that his country had “nothing to do with the attacks on Iran, tonight,” warning that “If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.”

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh on Wednesday threatened that the US “will be forced to leave the region” if it decides to pursue any “aggression” against Tehran in the event of a breakdown in the nuclear talks.

“All of its [the US’] bases are within our reach, and we have access to them, and we will target them all in the host countries without consideration,” said Nasirzadeh.

The US State Department announced it was shrinking its diplomatic missions in several countries in the Middle East in the days leading up to the Israeli aerial campaign, authorizing American dependents and non-military personnel to leave the region after the Iranian threat.