Iran statement at IAEA GC70: Agenda item 20

Statement by the Delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran before the 70th IAEA General Conference under Agenda Item 20 on the Israeli Regime’s Nuclear Capabilities (Vienna 17 September 2026)

In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Mr. President,

The General Conference has considered this issue for several decades.

This, in itself, indicates the international community’s sustained and profound concern regarding the Israeli regime’s nuclear threats.

The UN General Assembly and other forums have simultaneously considered this issue, and adopted many resolutions.

The resolutions share several common elements: support establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, urge the Israeli regime to join the NPT promptly and unconditionally, as a non-nuclear-weapon party, urge it to renounce nuclear weapons, and place all its nuclear facilities and activities under the IAEA comprehensive safeguards.

However, this regime has brazenly continued to defy and disregard these consistent, strong, and longstanding international calls.

More seriously, it has developed hundreds of nuclear weapons, and threatened to use them against regional nations.

According to a United Nations assessment, the Israeli regime dropped more than 200,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza in less than two years.

This is equivalent to the total energy of approximately 13 Hiroshima-type nuclear bombs. It shows how grave the danger of nuclear weapons of this regime is.

This danger is particularly alarming because the case of the Israeli regime’s Prime Minister for committing the crime of genocide is currently under consideration before two international courts, the ICC and the ICJ.

The regime has also repeatedly attacked peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities in the region.

These attacks constitute serious material breaches of international law, including the peremptory norm on the prohibition of aggression.

They also violate numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council, the General Assembly, and the IAEA General Conference and Board on the prohibition of threats or attacks against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes.

The sustained political and diplomatic protection provided by the US and certain other permanent members of the Security Council has shielded this regime from meaningful accountability under international law.

This impunity, together with the inaction of the Security Council and the IAEA General Conference and Board of Governors, has further emboldened the Israeli regime to pursue aggressive policies and unlawful practices more frequently.

Allow me, Mr. President, to place this issue within the broader and troubling logic that currently governs international nuclear non-proliferation norms.

A number of safeguarded nuclear facilities of regional countries have unlawfully been attacked by this regime that remains outside the NPT and has refused to accept the IAEA comprehensive safeguards.

It also continues to violate international law while the IAEA and the Security Council have failed to fulfil their legal responsibilities following these attacks.

Neither institution has even issued a simple statement condemning these aggressions against peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities.

Even more regrettably, one of the NPT depositary States directly participated in the aggression itself, and thus materially violated the object and purpose of the Treaty.

This selective and imbalanced application of international nuclear non-proliferation norms cannot be sustained.

It will undermine Member States’ confidence in the integrity, effectiveness, and universality as well as the non-discriminatory implementation of those norms and the IAEA safeguards.

A legal order that exposes compliant States to harm while tolerating aggression cannot be sustainable or worthy of States’ confidence.

Such an order becomes even less credible when it rewards the aggressors.

These circumstances pose a grave threat to regional and international peace and security.

They also constitute a direct threat to Iran’s national security and vital national interests.

Iran will never allow its national security, sovereignty, or vital national interests to be compromised by such a discriminatory and unjust order.

In accordance with international law and its inherent right of self-defence, Iran will take all necessary measures to protect its people and safeguard its national security.

If international nuclear non-proliferation norms are to preserve their credibility, effectiveness, and sustainability, these structural imbalances must necessarily be rectified.

I thank you, Mr. President.