TEHRAN - Iran says the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is facing a credibility crisis over its failure to respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic’s safeguarded nuclear facilities.
Speaking before the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna on Tuesday, Iran’s delegation said the IAEA could not credibly address nuclear security while remaining silent over attacks on facilities operating under international safeguards.
“What meaning can nuclear security have, if nothing is done against unlawful attacks to the safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities?” the Iranian delegation asked.
The delegation said the issue is particularly serious because the attacks were carried out against a member state of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
It also criticized the Board of Governors for failing to issue a basic condemnation of the attacks.
“If the Agency is unwilling or unable to give due consideration to the implications for nuclear security, on what grounds should Member States place their trust in its functioning and effectiveness?”
The Iranian delegation warned that such failures could have consequences beyond Iran, and they risk undermining confidence in the wider global nuclear non-proliferation system.
The delegation also raised concerns

 over the protection of sensitive nuclear information, describing “confidentiality” as an essential part of nuclear security.
Previous breaches led to the disclosure of sensitive information, the delegation stated, explaining that the information was later exploited to facilitate sabotage against safeguarded nuclear facilities.
“Confidentiality constitutes an essential element linked to nuclear security,” the delegation said, placing a premium on the IAEA’s statutory responsibility to protect such information.
The IAEA has not had access to key nuclear facilities in Iran since June 2025.
Back then, in a clear violation of international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Israel, joined by the United States, launched a 12-day war that included strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The aggression has led Iran to reject outright any immediate access for the IAEA inspectors to its nuclear facilities and damaged materials.
Tehran says such matters will only be addressed within the framework of a final agreement and after Washington takes practical steps to lift all sanctions.
Iran’s nuclear facilities were also hit in the latest illegal U.S.-Israeli war, which erupted on February 28. The IAEA has kept demanding access to the Iranian sites.
In August, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Muhammad Eslami reiterated that the IAEA cannot make such a demand unless a specific, approved protocol for inspecting sites under wartime conditions is established.