TEHRAN – Iran’s Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations has said that Iran will never succumb to threats or coercion and will never be forced to abandon its legitimate rights through military aggression or economic terrorism.
Foreign Minister Amir Saeed Iravani on Friday, ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly convened to discuss the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran, harshly criticized the politicization of international nuclear oversight and the failure of the international community to respond to June’s unprecedented attack on Iran’s protected nuclear facilities.
He began by stressing that the IAEA must remain “professional, fact-based and free from political influence,” arguing that the agency’s legitimacy rests solely on its unwavering impartiality.
Iravani stressed that nuclear energy is essential for national development and that Article 4 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) grants countries an “inalienable right” to peaceful nuclear technology, which cannot be restricted on political pretexts.
He reiterated that safeguards are intended to facilitate, not hinder, legitimate nuclear activities and criticized persistent double standards that constrain developing countries while providing political, military and nuclear protection to Israel, an entity outside the NPT with undeclared nuclear weapons.
“These practices do not strengthen non-proliferation,” he said. “They undermine it and fundamentally undermine the agency’s mission of technical cooperation.”
Iravani then referred to the “unprovoked and illegal” attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran’s fully monitored nuclear facilities from June 13 to June 25, calling it an unprecedented act of aggression.
He said that “just hours after the politically driven resolution was passed by the IAEA Board of Directors,” Israel launched a major attack on protected Iranian facilities, killing and injuring thousands of people. He added that on June 22, the United States also carried out a direct attack on a location under IAEA surveillance, in violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, the IAEA Statute, and Security Council Resolution 487.
“This wasn’t just an attack on Iran,” he said. “It was an attack on the authority of the United Nations and the integrity of the global safeguards system.”
He accused both the IAEA and the UN Security Council of failing to condemn the attack, despite decades of General Assembly resolutions saying nuclear facilities should never be targeted.
Mr. Iravani reaffirmed Iran’s longstanding commitment to the NPT and dismissed Western claims about Iran’s compliance. He said the United States and three European countries (UK, France, and Germany) have consistently repeated “fabrications” originating from Israel about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, while ignoring Israel’s undeclared nuclear capabilities and acceptance of international oversight.
He stressed that Iran remains in full compliance with the NPT and its safeguards obligations and has never violated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear deal involving Iran, the United States, and the E3.
Referring to the IAEA findings, he explained that the temporary decrease in Iran’s cooperation with inspectors was solely a result of the military attack. He urged the creation of a new global mechanism to protect nuclear facilities and personnel from armed attack, warning that the credibility of the entire safeguards system depends on such protection.
Mr. Irabani also noted that progress had been made through a memorandum of understanding signed in Cairo on September 9 between Iran and the IAEA, laying the foundation for new cooperation after the attacks. However, he said this progress is now threatened by renewed hostility from Washington and European governments, including attempts by the E3 to impose “snapback” sanctions, measures that Iran considers legally invalid after the October 18 expiration of resolution 2231, which supported the JCPOA.
His remarks came as the IAEA prepares to release a new report estimating Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile based on pre-attack data, but avoided any assessment of the Israeli and American strikes or the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist during the June attack. The report also ignores the authorities’ own role in enabling the attack through board resolutions, and makes no mention of E3’s recourse to the disputed “snapback” mechanism.
Mr. Irabani concluded by rejecting continued threats and pressure on Iran, asserting that “we will respond only to respect, legitimacy and equality.”