GENEVA (Dispatches) --

 Eleven members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli regime’s military attack on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities and urged immediate action by the United Nations nuclear watchdog and the Security Council to prevent such aggression.  

They condemned Israel’s aggression against Iran, including its military attacks on nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, calling them a flagrant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the Statute of the IAEA.

The statement emphasized that the attacks not only threaten international peace and security but also undermine confidence in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), constitute a blatant disregard for the IAEA safeguards system, and jeopardize the advancement of peaceful nuclear energy.

The signatories also stressed that any armed attack or threat against nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and the Statute of the IAEA. 

They called on the Israeli regime to immediately cease its military aggression against Iran and urged the Board of Governors, the secretariat, and the IAEA director general to take the necessary measures to prevent such attacks from happening again.

The statement was issued by Russia, China, Pakistan, Iraq, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Iran.

Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi also vehemently condemned Israel’s strikes on its peaceful nuclear facilities, terming it an act of state terrorism.

Speaking at the board session on Monday, Najafi said that the Israeli aggression is the flagrant breach of the United Nations Charter.

The United States was aware of the Israeli strikes beforehand and had supported it by providing intelligence, political backing, and material aids, he said.

As to the inaction of the IAEA and its board in addressing Israel’s repeated threats against Iran’s nuclear sites, he said that the silence not only undermines the agency’s credibility but emboldens Israel to take aggressive actions.
In spite of certain biased behaviors from international actors and Israel’s continued violations of nuclear regulations outside the framework of the NPT, he said, Iran has always upheld its commitments.
Tehran has provided the IAEA with extensive, detailed reports on its peaceful nuclear program, but this transparency has unfortunately been exploited to put national security and Iranian scientists in danger, he said.
“If NPT obligations remain imbalanced—where committed member states comply while non-member aggressors act without restrictions—then continuing voluntary adherence to the treaty becomes unjustifiable.”
Declaring that the era of hit-and-run attacks have come to an end, he affirmed Iran’s right under the UN Charter and the IAEA statutes to defend its sovereignty, nuclear sites, and national interests.
Iran will give an appropriate response at a suitable time, the envoy underlined.
Najafi also urged the IAEA Board of Governors to categorically condemn Israel’s attack and hold the regime accountable for the consequences of dangerous move.