TEHRAN – The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, has strongly criticized the “silence and inaction” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the face of repeated US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Addressing the 69th Annual General Conference of the IAEA in Vienna on Monday, Eslami accused the agency of betraying its own statute and the United Nations Charter by failing to condemn the strikes, which Tehran says caused heavy human and material losses.

“Such an approach is a betrayal of the UN Charter and the IAEA Statute,” Eslami said, warning that the precedent of attacking safeguarded nuclear facilities undermines the entire global non-proliferation regime.

On June 13, Israel carried out a blatant act of aggression, targeting safeguarded nuclear installations and killing a number of nuclear scientists, senior military commanders, and hundreds of civilians. Only days later, on June 22, the United States joined the attacks, bombing Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites in what Tehran said was a clear violation of international law, the NPT, and IAEA safeguards agreements.

“These actions were not just cowardly assaults against Iran; they were also direct violations of the credibility of the Agency and the integrity of its safeguards system,” Eslami told delegates.

Eslami emphasized that Iran’s armed forces had delivered “powerful and unforgettable” retaliatory strikes against both Israel and the US. “Should such errors be repeated, Iran’s response will be even more crushing,” he warned.

He stressed that Iran’s nuclear knowledge and technology are deeply rooted and cannot be erased by assassination, sabotage, or military aggression. He accused Israel of pursuing not only the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities but also the sabotage of diplomacy and peace in the region.

“This regime, which has never joined the NPT, continues to block the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East while expanding its arsenal of nuclear weapons,” he said, accusing Western states of either supporting or remaining silent in the face of such actions.

According to Eslami, the strikes represented an unprecedented breach in the history of the IAEA, violating Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, the 1974 UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 prohibiting aggression, and multiple IAEA and UN Security Council resolutions.

He noted that while the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council both convened emergency meetings in response to the attacks, political pressure from Washington prevented either body from taking decisive action. “If safeguarded nuclear facilities can be attacked with impunity, then what is the value of safeguards? If transparency is answered with terrorism and indiscriminate bombings, then what meaning does cooperation with the Agency have?” he asked.

Iran has since suspended cooperation with the IAEA under a law passed by Parliament, though it maintains that this does not amount to withdrawal from the NPT. Eslami explained that cooperation with the Agency will resume only once Iran’s security concerns are addressed.

In response to the aggression, Iran has submitted a draft resolution to the IAEA General Conference calling for a global ban on military attacks against nuclear installations.

“The recent aggression on Iranian soil not only damaged the nuclear industry, it also struck a blow against the UN Charter,” Eslami declared. “This is why we have put forward a resolution fully aligned with international law and the IAEA Statute, demanding protection of safeguarded nuclear facilities everywhere.”

He acknowledged that the resolution was unwelcome to hostile countries, but said that even if it failed to pass, the attempt itself was valuable. “For Iran, the importance of presenting the resolution, and of having its contents formally registered and circulated to all members, is greater than the outcome of the vote,” he said.

Meanwhile, AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi revealed that the United States has actively opposed Iran’s resolution, even threatening to cut IAEA funding if it were adopted. “Such blackmail not only endangers Iran’s nuclear facilities but the safety of nuclear infrastructure globally,” Kamalvandi warned, urging countries to unite against the “dangerous precedent” of normalizing military attacks on safeguarded sites.

In his address, Eslami also criticized the United States and the E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) for seeking to reactivate UN sanctions against Iran under the so-called “snapback” mechanism. He called the move illegal, noting that the European powers had never fulfilled their own obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“They are known for their bad faith and disruptive behavior. Any attempt to reimpose UN sanctions annulled under Resolution 2231 is null and void,” he said. Iran insists that Resolution 2231 must expire as scheduled on October 18, 2025.

Eslami reiterated that Iran will not yield to pressure or abandon its rights under the NPT and international law. “Iran is the victim, not the perpetrator,” he declared. “The path forward is clear: condemn the attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities, restore respect for international law, and return integrity to the Agency. Anything else will normalize illegality and erode the very foundations of the international order.”

The 69th IAEA General Conference runs from September 15 to 19 in Vienna. Iranian officials say they will push for global recognition of the dangers posed by the precedent of military strikes against safeguarded nuclear sites, warning that silence or inaction will undermine the very mission of the Agency.