Envoy: U.S., Israeli Strikes on Iran Hit at Heart of NPT
UNITED NATIONS (Dispatches) -- The U.S. and Israel have carried out deliberate attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, which are under the supervision of the United Nations nuclear agency, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said on Thursday.
“These attacks strike at the very heart of the NPT,” said Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Speaking during a meeting marking the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Iravani condemned “reckless attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States against Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
He emphasized that the targeted facilities were “devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes in accordance with Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty” and “placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
“These acts constitute a direct assault on the foundations of multilateralism, undermine the confidence in arms control and non-proliferation frameworks, and pose a grave threat to international peace and security,” Iravani said.
The Iranian envoy also raised concerns over attacks on Iranian cities hosting International Monitoring System (IMS) stations, which support global verification efforts under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
“These unlawful actions jeopardize the safety and integrity of IMS facilities, endanger the lives of their technical personnel, and strike at the very infrastructure that underpins the global verification regime,” he said.
Iravani called on the international community to “unequivocally condemn these actions, demand accountability for those who violate international law, and strengthen legal protections for nuclear installations.”
He warned that targeting peaceful nuclear facilities threatens the delicate balance of the NPT, where non-nuclear-weapon states agree not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for the right to peaceful nuclear energy and nuclear-weapon states’ commitment to disarmament.
“If peaceful nuclear facilities can no longer be considered safe from threat or use of force, what meaning remains in the guarantees the Treaty promises?” Iravani asked.
He urged global efforts “to stand resolutely against all nuclear dangers—whether through tests, threats, or attacks—and work tirelessly for a world in which nuclear energy serves only the advancement and dignity of humanity, never its destruction.”