Amir Said Iravani said that in blatant violations of international law, including the principles of nuclear weapons, Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites were intentionally targeted, Amir Said Iravani said he would address the United Nations General Assembly at a high-level plenary session held on September 4th to promote International Day on nuclear tests.
The full text of his statement is as follows:
In the name of God, the most compassionate and most merciful
president,
Let’s start by thanking us for convening this meeting. I would also like to join other delegations in praise of Kazakhstan for the initiative to promote International Day on nuclear tests.
The International Day on Nuclear Tests was established to remind us of the devastating consequences of nuclear tests for human health, the environment and international peace and security.
We must act to honor the victims of past nuclear tests and protect current and future generations from new forms of nuclear risk. Today, dangers associated with nuclear tests have reappeared in another form through deliberate attacks on protected nuclear facilities. The dangers posed by nuclear tests are not limited to intentional explosions. The threat or use of force to nuclear facilities is equally significant risk.
The recent reckless attacks by the Israeli regime and the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities underscore this urgent concern. These facilities were under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), dedicated solely to peaceful purposes in accordance with Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and intentionally targeted blatant violations of international law, including the principles of the UN Charter. Such actions constitute a direct attack on the foundations of multilateralism, undermining confidence in this armed and non-proliferating framework, poses a serious threat to international peace and security.
Similarly, attacks launched by the Israeli regime on Iranian cities hosting IMS stations are equally wary. These illegal activities pose a breach of the safety and integrity of IMS facilities, put the lives of engineers at risk, and the very infrastructure that underpins the global verification regime. By undermining the broader objectives of the CTBTO, they pose a serious obstacle to advances in the entry into force of the treaty.
The international community therefore must explicitly condemn these actions, demand accountability from those who violate international law, strengthen legal protections of nuclear facilities, and ensure that the inviolability of peaceful nuclear facilities becomes an unwavering norm.
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Van Treaty (CTBT) embodies the international community’s rejection of nuclear tests and the perception of the catastrophic risks associated with nuclear explosions. But while we turn a blind eye to actions that have similar outcomes, condemning nuclear tests will be a clear hypocrisy and double standard.
Furthermore, these attacks collide at the very center of the NPT, which lies in a delicate balance. Nuclear-free countries agree not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for two basic assurances. The right to develop peaceful nuclear energy without discrimination, and the pursuit of disarming by nuclear weapons countries. By targeting protected nuclear facilities, the perpetrator not only violates the inviolable rights of sovereign states under Article IV, but also undermines the reliability of the NPT and the trust that underpins the treaty. If peaceful nuclear facilities are no longer considered safe from threats or the use of force, what remains of the meaning of the guarantees promised by the treaty?
Preserving the peaceful use of nuclear energy, protecting all nuclear facilities from threats or use of force, and promoting the total elimination of nuclear weapons is not a separate objective, but interdependent and mutually reinforced. By recommending these principles today, we will not forget the painful lessons of the past, and confirm that humanity remains immovable by pursuing a nuclear-weaponless world.
Nuclear test victims are reminded of the high cost of indifference. To remain silent, betray their memories in the face of new threats that risk repeating history in a different way. On this day, we must stand firm against all nuclear dangers through testing, threats and attacks, and strive tirelessly for a world in which nuclear energy can only serve human progress and dignity.
Thank you to the President.
MNA/