Statement by Permanent Representative of Russia to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov at IAEA General Conference «Prohibition of All Forms of Attacks and Threats of Attack against Nuclear Sites and Facilities under IAEA Safeguards»

In June, Iran's nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards were subjected to targeted, unprovoked aggression, first by Israel and then by the United States.

To recap, the main results: Iran's nuclear infrastructure facilities, which were under regular Agency monitoring, where IAEA inspectors worked daily, and which raised no concerns regarding the non-diversion of nuclear material, were destroyed. The US-Israeli attacks reduced the intensity of verification activities in Iran from 493 inspections in 2024 to zero. They dealt a crushing blow to the entire international non-proliferation regime, with the NPT at its core, as well as the Agency's safeguards system and the IAEA's overall ability to fulfill its statutory functions. The Israeli and Iranian aggression effectively blinded the Agency in Iran for two and a half months. Only now, after these tragic events, is dialogue slowly resuming between Tehran and the Secretariat, which we wholeheartedly welcome. We note the responsible and professional approach of both parties and hope for the implementation of the agreements reached in Cairo on September 9.

At the same time, an extremely abnormal situation has arisen. For almost three months since the attacks, the Agency - both member states and its Secretariat - has failed to clearly, unequivocally, and, most importantly, collectively speak out against the reckless actions of the United States and Israel. Strikes against nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards are a flagrant violation of the UN and IAEA Statutes and international law. Striking nuclear facilities under safeguards is illegal and unacceptable. This demands the broadest condemnation. Two special sessions of the Board of Governors were held - one convened by our country, the second by the Agency's Director General. And yet, the IAEA has yet to issue any collective response. This is due to opposition from Western countries.

Over the past three and a half years, at meetings of the Agency's policymaking bodies, in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, we have heard our European colleagues exclaim passionately that «nuclear facilities must never be attacked». To illustrate, we quote the EU's statement at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on March 4, 2022:

«We recall that in 2009, the IAEA General Conference unanimously adopted Decision GC(53)/DEC/13 stating that «any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency». We also recall IAEA General Conference Resolution GC(43)/533 which recognises that an armed attack or a threat of armed attack on a safeguarded nuclear facility, in operation or under construction, would create a situation in which the UN Security Council would have to act immediately in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter».

When Israel and the United States struck Iran's nuclear facilities - a targeted, massive attack, with a full admission of responsibility and a threat to repeat their aggression if necessary - our European colleagues seemed to have completely forgotten their own principles. The representative of the Netherlands expressed it most eloquently at one of the Boards’s special sessions: «we regret that Israel felt compelled to launch an attack on Iran». That's the entire position of the European Union in one sentence. This position cannot be called either consistent or principled.

We are dealing with an extremely dangerous phenomenon. Forty years ago, a facility in Iraq was attacked; for the past three years, Russian nuclear power plants have been targeted; today, Iran is the target; and in another 10 years, it could be any other country that has developed its own nuclear program and placed its facilities under IAEA safeguards, expecting the international legal regime to protect its rights. And if what happened to Iran ever happens again - and the US and Israel are openly raising the possibility of such a scenario - the blame will fall on the shoulders of those who abused international law, thumping their chests when they needed international norms and completely forgetting them when they didn't serve their political agenda.

The Russian Federation has been, continues to be, and will continue to be categorically opposed to strikes on any nuclear facilities, especially those under IAEA safeguards. And we continue to insist that we, as the Agency, must find the strength to collectively respond to the events that took place in Iran in June. If this doesn't happen, what will that say about the IAEA's credibility and its ability to respond to challenges directly related to its mandate? We must fulfill our fundamental responsibility and send a signal that the Agency and its Member States will not tolerate the normalization of attacks on nuclear facilities.