Iranian ambassador: Security Council must take attacks on nuclear facilities seriously

Pars Today- Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna has called for action against any attack or threat of attack against nuclear sites and facilities under IAEA safeguards.

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB, Reza Najafi, speaking at the 70th session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressed that in recent years, the world has witnessed two contrasting trends regarding the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

On the one hand, nuclear energy has become one of the most reliable, cleanest and greenest sources of energy. On the other hand, armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities have reached an unprecedented level in terms of frequency and intensity, raising the risk that such attacks could become normalized.

Najafi said: “This is a worrying trend. Armed attacks on nuclear facilities can have consequences extending beyond the region of conflict and pose serious risks to human life, public health and the environment.

He stressed that, with regard to the IAEA’s primary objective, such attacks severely undermine countries’ inalienable right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. They weaken the authority of the IAEA and call the credibility of its safeguards system into question. If safeguarded facilities can be bombed with impunity, confidence in the Agency will be undermined, while the integrity of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the IAEA Statute will be eroded.”

Najafi said: “Accordingly, the armed attacks by the US and Israeli regimes constitute acts of aggression, and the crime of aggression is therefore the gravest international crime. At the same time, they have repeatedly committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the most serious manner.

He stressed that under international law, all these crimes entail the international responsibility of the aggressors and oblige them to cease their internationally wrongful acts, provide appropriate assurances and guarantees of non-repetition, and fully compensate for the damage and harm they have caused.

Najafi said the international community must adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward any attack on or threat against peaceful nuclear facilities. Any genuine concerns regarding nuclear activities must be addressed solely through peaceful means, diplomacy and established legal mechanisms.