Iran, Russia, China, Belarus, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Tajikistan, and Zimbabwe issued the joint statement at the 70th General Conference on Thursday.
“We reiterate that an attack or threat of attack against nuclear facilities violates the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and is fundamentally incompatible with the objectives and purposes of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” the statement read.
The statement warned of “serious consequences” of such attacks, stressing that they pose a serious threat to the integrity, effectiveness, and credibility of the Agency’s safeguards system and the global non-proliferation architecture.
“We emphasize that attacks on nuclear facilities would negatively affect the peaceful use of nuclear energy and international cooperation,” it said, warning of radioactive releases within and beyond the targeted country, including severe impacts on civilians and long-term damage to the environment.
They noted that silence on attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities undermines established international norms, erodes confidence in the international legal order, and risks normalizing such attacks.
“Therefore, we emphasize that nuclear facilities must under no circumstances be subjected to attack or the threat of attack,” added the statement.
The 15 countries called on the agency’s member states to explicitly and categorically oppose any attack or threat against nuclear facilities in order to strengthen nuclear safety and security.
The statement reaffirmed the legitimate right of all countries to develop research, production, and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination.
The statement comes after two rounds of US-Israeli aggression against Iran that have, in part, targeted Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities amid the silence and inaction of the .
The deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said that the country will not abandon its peaceful nuclear program despite attacks on its facilities and scientists, stressing that the country “will not surrender” to its enemies.
Press TV