‘Breach of UN charter’: Iran urges accountability over nuclear site attacks
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, called on the international community to condemn attacks on its nuclear facilities and hold the perpetrators accountable, warning that such actions carry risks comparable to those posed by nuclear weapons testing.
Speaking on Thursday at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly marking the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Iravani said the “reckless attacks” carried out by Israel in June — later joined by the United States — deliberately targeted nuclear sites under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
Israel struck multiple locations inside Iran, while the United States bombarded the country’s three main nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan before a ceasefire took effect on June 24. Iravani stressed that these facilities are devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes under Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accused both governments of blatant violations of international law, including the principles of the UN Charter.
Stressing that the June attacks constitute “a blatant violation of international law, including the principles of the UN charter,” he said such belligerent moves are considered a “direct assault on the foundations of multilateralism, undermine confidence in disarmament and non-proliferation frameworks, and pose a grave threat to international peace and security.”
Iravani also denounced Israeli attacks on Iranian cities hosting International Monitoring System (IMS) stations, warning that such operations endanger technical staff, compromise verification infrastructure, and obstruct the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization’s (CTBTO) objectives.
He said it would be “hypocrisy and a double standard” to condemn nuclear testing while ignoring attacks that carry similar consequences.