TEHRAN- The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to explicitly condemn a recent US-Israeli strike near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, warning that continued inaction could embolden further attacks.

In a letter to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami described the incident as a “clear violation of international law” and “a war crime.”

According to Eslami, the area surrounding Unit 1 of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was targeted in an air and missile attack on Saturday. The resulting blast wave and shrapnel damaged a building within the facility, killing one security staff member and injuring several others.

He warned that the strike—reportedly the fourth targeting the site—could risk the release of radioactive materials from an operational reactor, potentially causing “irreparable consequences” for human health, the environment, and neighboring countries.

Eslami criticized the IAEA’s response as insufficient, arguing that expressions of “deep concern” without explicit condemnation risk encouraging further aggression. He also took issue with politically biased public remarks by the agency’s leadership, including statements made in a March 18, 2026 interview with the U.S. network CBS News.

“It is clear that this inaction… has further emboldened the aggressors to continue these brutal attacks in violation of international principles and rules,” he said, warning that continued silence could be viewed as “implicit complicity” and would further undermine the agency’s credibility.

Eslami called on the IAEA to adopt a firm position and fulfill its statutory responsibilities, adding that Iran would take necessary measures to defend its sovereign rights.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also warned against attacks on the Bushehr facility. 

“Israel-U.S. have bombed our Bushehr plant four times now. Radioactive fallout will end life in capitals of Persian Gulf countries, not Tehran,” Araghchi wrote on X, criticizing a lack of global concern for the safety of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. He contrasted the response with international reactions to tensions around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, expressed grave concern over the safety of nuclear facilities in Iran following the reported strikes.

“The latest incident involving the Bushehr nuclear power plant is a stark reminder: a strike could trigger a nuclear accident, with health impacts that would devastate generations,” he wrote on X.

“With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher. We must de-escalate now. Peace is the best medicine,” he added.