Iran's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned overnight US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as "violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the two countries.
In Tehran's first response to the US strikes, ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that they represented "another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will result only in increased tension in instability in the region."
The US military launched airstrikes against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and the militias it backs, in retaliation for last weekend's drone attack in Jordan that killed three US troops.
While the strikes did not target sites inside Iran, they signaled a further escalation of conflict in the Middle East from Israel's nearly four-month war on Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war
Kanaani said the US attacks were designed "to overshadow the Zionist regime's crimes in Gaza." He did not indicate if Iran would take any action in response.
He urged the UN Security Council to prevent "illegal and unilateral US attacks in the region."
Before the US retaliatory strikes on Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran would not start a war but would "respond strongly to anyone who tries to bully it."
Kanaani said "the root cause of tensions and crises in the Middle East is Israel's occupation and genocide of Palestinians with America's unlimited support."