The Iranian envoy to Vienna-based International Organizations Reza Najafi described the move as a clear violation of Iran’s rights, conflicting directly with the IAEA Statute and the principle of equal participation for all member states.
The 70th IAEA General Conference opened Monday in Vienna with a broad agenda covering the agency’s annual report, nuclear science and technology, technical cooperation, safeguards implementation, and discussions on prohibiting attacks against nuclear facilities.
Iran submitted a formal request to the IAEA Secretariat seeking to add an item to the agenda regarding the “prohibition of all forms of attacks or threats of attack against safeguarded nuclear sites and facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes.”
In an explanatory note, Tehran emphasized that targeting or threatening safeguarded nuclear infrastructure poses grave risks to nuclear safety and security, undermines the IAEA safeguards regime, and disrupts peaceful nuclear development. Iran stated that such actions breach the IAEA Statute, fundamental principles of international law, and the UN Charter’s prohibition on the threat or use of force.
The Iranian delegation urged the General Conference to examine the legal, institutional, and technical dimensions of attacks against peaceful nuclear sites, hold perpetrators accountable, and address the consequences for the non-proliferation regime.
The annual session will run through Friday at the Vienna International Centre, bringing together member state representatives to deliberate on the agency’s 2027 budget, nuclear security, technical assistance programs, and safeguards enforcement.
Following U.S. efforts that blocked Eslami from delivering his scheduled address, Behrouz Kamalvandi, Spokesperson and Deputy Head of the AEOI for International, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs, is set to speak on behalf of the Iranian delegation later this week.
MNA
