In their statement issued on Friday, Iran and the co-sponsoring countries – Russia, China, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Zimbabwe- emphasized the inalienable and non-discriminatory right of all states to develop and use peaceful nuclear energy.
They characterized any attack or threat of attack against nuclear facilities as a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law, and the IAEA Statute.
Citing relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA, the countries warned that such attacks carry grave consequences for nuclear safety and security and pose a serious threat to the credibility of the IAEA safeguards system and the global non-proliferation architecture.
The countries stressed that nuclear facilities must under no circumstances be subjected to attack or threat of attack, and that silence in the face of such attacks undermines international norms and increases the risk of their normalization.
The statement further called on all UN member states to unite in explicit and firm opposition to any attack or threat of attack against nuclear facilities, in order to strengthen nuclear safety and security and support the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
