Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Vienna Statement by H.E. Reza Najafi Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran before the Board of Governors of the IAEA on Military Act of Aggression by the United States and Israeli Regime (Vienna, 23 June 2025) إنَّا مِنَ المُجْرِمِينَ مُنْتَقِمونَ   We requested the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors to address the grave and unprecedented acts of aggression committed by the United States regime and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. These actions constitute clear violations of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the Statute of the Agency, pose a serious threat to international peace and security, and therefore warrant urgent and serious consideration by the Board. Following the criminal act of aggression by the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran, through formal diplomatic correspondence and public statements, consistently warned against the adverse implications such unlawful conduct would have on the authority of the IAEA, the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and the viability of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).   The subsequent illegitimate use of force by the United States regime, a recognized depository of the NPT, targeting safeguarded nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran —namely, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan— on 22 June 2025, occurred despite the fact that the Agency’s inspectors maintained an uninterrupted presence at these facilities, and all operations conducted therein were subject to the Agency’s monitoring and verification. This ruthless act has inflicted a profound and systemic blow to the credibility and legal coherence of the NPT and international non-proliferation regime. The depositary of the NPT, in coalition by a nuclear-armed non-Party to NPT, has carried out an act of aggression against a State Party to the Treaty — a country which, according to the Agency’s own publicly available data, has been subject to the highest number of inspections relative to the number of its nuclear facilities. A country in which more than one-fifth of the Agency’s total verification resources have been allocated to the implementation of safeguards. The President of the United States has publicly acknowledged that U.S. forces carried out attacks against three safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran and further claimed to have destroyed Iran’s enrichment capabilities. Irrespective of the accuracy of this claim, it is profoundly alarming and legally reprehensible that a Depositary of the NPT has not only violated the core principles of the Treaty, but has also openly expressed pride in an illegal act of aggression. This marks a profound collapse of the principles that once defined Western civilization—an alarming celebration of blatant barbarism and unlawful aggression! Is there anyone left who dares to speak of the rule of law or a rules-based international order? Through its actions, the United States regime has cast aside all legal norms and imposed nothing short of the law of the jungle.     Distinguished Colleagues, The present situation has reaffirmed the troubling reality that the IAEA and the broader non-proliferation regime established under the NPT, is no longer considered functioning effectively in upholding its foundational objectives and legal responsibilities. The unlawful aggressive actions undertaken by the United States and the Israeli regime—targeting nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards—have compelled the Islamic Republic of Iran to seriously question the viability and value of its vast continuous cooperation with the Agency. These actions have led Iran to the conclusion that such extensive cooperation, under current circumstances, no longer serves to safeguard its national interests, sovereignty, or security. The recent unlawful act of aggression has delivered a fundamental and irreparable blow to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, conclusively demonstrating that the existing NPT framework has been rendered ineffective in fulfilling its foundational objectives, including the prevention of aggression against safeguarded nuclear facilities. Madam Chair, These unlawful attacks may have far-reaching and devastating environmental consequences, posing serious risks of radioactive, chemical, and radiological contamination not only for Iran, but for the entire region. Furthermore, the physical security and containment of nuclear materials, including enriched uranium, have been severely compromised. These actions have directly impacted the Agency’s ability to conduct routine inspections, thereby endangering the effective implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. As a result, the so-called the Agency’s continuity of knowledge which the DG cared too much, in this regard can no longer be assured. Responsibility for these grave consequences rests not only with the coalition of aggression — namely, the United States and Israel — but also with the Agency and the Board of Governors, should they fail to uphold their mandates and take effective, appropriate and principled action in response to these unlawful acts, including the clear and unequivocal condemnation of these acts of aggression. Distinguished Colleagues, I must frankly express that, given the current circumstances, both the non-proliferation regime and the Agency have effectively lost their relevance and legitimacy as well as the capacity to fulfill their mandates. In accordance with the United Nations Charter and the NPT, the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defense and will strongly defend its great nation, its sovereignty, and its supreme national interests, by all necessary means. The era of unchecked impunity has come to an end. As long as the source of the threat persists, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to undertake necessary, resolute, and proportionate measures to neutralize it—at a time, place, and manner of its own choosing—in full exercise of its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Our measures are proportionate, targeted, and designed to neutralize the source of continued aggression.   This is our steadfast conviction, as expressed in the Holy Quran: «وَ لا تَهِنوا وَ لا تَحزَنوا وَ اَنتُمُ الاَعلَونَ اِن کُنتُم مُؤمِنین» “So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers”