Iran Condemns US-Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites Under IAEA Safeguards

The Iranian delegation at the special meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors condemned the attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime on nuclear facilities under Iranian safeguards. The delegation described these attacks as the "most extensive and unprecedented" against such sites since the IAEA was established and called for a decisive response from the international community.

Referring to the Agency’s record of condemning the Israeli regime’s attack on Iraq’s nuclear facilities in 1981, the Iranian delegation recalled that the IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference have, in numerous resolutions, considered any attack or threat against nuclear facilities under Safeguards as in violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the Agency’s Statute.

Iranian representatives noted that the United States and the Israeli regime have carried out a total of 17 waves of attacks against nuclear facilities under Safeguards during the 12-Day and Ramadan wars. One of the most dangerous of these attacks occurred near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, approximately 350 meters from the plant’s reactor, and resulted in human casualties. Referring to the IAEA Director General’s warning about the possible consequences of a direct attack on the Bushehr power plant, the Iranian delegation emphasized that such an action could have led to a widespread emission of radioactive materials into the environment.

The Iranian delegation also warned that these attacks undermine the objectives and principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA Statute, and call into question the credibility of the global non-proliferation regime, in particular the IAEA Safeguards regime. The delegation called on member states to avoid politicized, selective approaches and double standards, prevent the normalization of attacks on nuclear facilities under Safeguards Agreement, and, if necessary, develop new international rules to absolutely prohibit any attack or threat against those facilities.

According to Mehr News, the Iranian delegation emphasized the need for a "zero tolerance" policy against such actions and threats, warning that normalizing attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities poses a serious threat to the non-proliferation regime and international security.