TEHRAN -- Iran’s atomic energy chief stated on Sunday that the United States and Israel deliberately targeted irradiation centers in their aerial assaults on the country, calling the strikes a war crime that endangered public health and food security.
Muhammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told the international conference “Ecocide: the Silent War Crime” in Tehran that non-nuclear installations, including refineries, petrochemical plants and irradiation centers, were directly hit alongside nuclear facilities. 
“These centers are run by the AEOI to support public health and food security,” he said. “Attacking factories and these sites, and deliberately targeting their sensitive areas, can only be described as a crime and a war crime.”
Eslami censured the International Atomic Energy Agency for failing to condemn “brazen and reckless” U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran’s peaceful nuclear plants, warning their destruction can have catastrophic environmental and human consequences.
He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for making nuclear power plant development a policy priority in the United States while banning Iran from pursuing the same technology. 
“Nuclear technology is a technology of life — a life-sustaining technology that is environmentally friendly, supports human health, and helps save lives,” Eslami said.

 “Why should the Islamic Republic of Iran be denied access to this advanced technology?”
Separately, AEOI spokesman and deputy head Behrouz Kamalvandi told reporters Sunday that Tehran will continue to defend its rights through both diplomacy and resistance, calling the two approaches complementary rather than contradictory. 
“If our interests can be secured through diplomacy, so much the better. Otherwise, we will secure them with strength and determination on the battlefield,” he said.
Kamalvandi criticized the IAEA’s handling of Iran’s nuclear file, saying political influence has prevented the agency from fulfilling its responsibilities and that resolutions against Iran are politically motivated and lacked legal basis. He said such measures harm not only Iran but also the IAEA’s credibility and the wider non-proliferation framework.
On the possibility of Iran withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Kamalvandi said any decision would involve the Iranian parliament, which would conduct necessary deliberations. 
He reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, transparent and subject to continuous IAEA monitoring, and that international reports had shown its activities remained on the right track.
Kamalvandi stressed that Iran’s nuclear industry is indigenous and cannot be dismantled through attacks or pressure. 
“Our nuclear industry has deep roots in Iran. It is not an industry that can be eliminated with a few blows,” he said, stating that those seeking to undermine the sector have failed to understand its domestic capabilities.
He said nuclear technology contributes to healthcare, nuclear medicine, energy production, agriculture and industry, and that Iran will continue developing these capabilities despite external pressure.