Iran Urges UN to Condemn US-Israel Nuclear Site Attacks as ‘War Crimes’
Tehran, Iran – Iran has formally appealed to the United Nations Security Council, strongly condemning what it describes as a series of military attacks by the United States and the “Israeli regime” against its peaceful nuclear facilities. Tehran asserts that these actions constitute “war crimes” and severe violations of international law, the UN Charter, and the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), demanding immediate and decisive intervention from the international body.
Allegations of Aggression and War Crimes
In a detailed letter dispatched to the UN Security Council, Iran’s diplomatic envoy outlined a series of alleged military strikes occurring in February and March 2026. The communication describes a “second round of aggressive actions” following similar incidents in June 2025. Specific incidents cited include:
- March 1, 2026: Two military attacks targeting the Natanz nuclear facility.
- March 17, 2026: Another military strike against a building located just 350 meters from the active Bushehr nuclear power plant.
- March 21, 2026: Bombing of multiple points within the Natanz nuclear facility.
Iran emphasizes that these attacks represent a “flagrant violation of international law,” including the established principle of the prohibition of aggression, which is considered a peremptory norm of general international law. The letter asserts that such “aggressive warfare” is a “crime against international peace” and entails both state responsibility for the aggressors and individual criminal responsibility for those effectively controlling or directing such actions.
International Law and Nuclear Safety Concerns
The Iranian communication underscores the catastrophic potential of attacks on nuclear facilities, citing multiple warnings from the IAEA Director General. The Director General has explicitly stated that “nuclear facilities should never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as such actions could harm people and the environment.” He elaborated on the severe consequences, particularly for the active Bushehr plant, warning that direct impact could lead to “very high releases of radioactive materials into the environment,” and even a power supply disruption could cause a “reactor core meltdown,” resulting in widespread radioactive contamination.
Iran argues that these attacks violate not only international humanitarian law, which provides “special protection” for facilities containing dangerous forces (such as nuclear power plants), but also international environmental law, which prohibits methods or means of warfare causing “widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.”
Undermining Non-Proliferation and Global Stability
The letter highlights Iran’s “inalienable right” to develop, research, and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, a right enshrined in Article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Tehran asserts that military attacks or threats against peaceful nuclear facilities gravely violate the NPT’s objectives and the IAEA’s foundational mission, severely undermining their credibility, integrity, and effectiveness. Such actions are also seen as weakening global non-proliferation norms and creating obstacles to the inherent right to development.
Furthermore, Iran contends that these attacks fundamentally weaken the global non-proliferation architecture, particularly the IAEA’s safeguards system, by fostering an environment of instability and erosion of confidence in these critical norms. The letter notes that Iran had previously issued formal warnings to the IAEA regarding illegal attacks on its safeguarded nuclear facilities, yet the perceived “inaction” by the IAEA Director General and Board of Governors has allegedly emboldened the aggressors and “irreparably undermined” the agency’s credibility.
Call for Decisive UN Action and Accountability
In its appeal, Iran explicitly calls upon the UN Security Council to act decisively and without delay. Tehran demands that the Council unequivocally condemn these acts of aggression, compel the “aggressors” to immediately cease all illegal attacks, and obligate them to provide full reparation and compensation for all damages, including to Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities.
The letter draws parallels with past Security Council actions, recalling Resolution 487 (1981), which unanimously condemned the “Israeli regime’s” air attack on Iraq’s nuclear facility in 1981 as a “flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations” and a “serious threat to the entire IAEA safeguards system.” Iran also cited numerous resolutions from the UN General Assembly and the IAEA General Conference and Board of Governors condemning attacks on nuclear facilities and expressing grave concerns about their consequences. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), comprising 120 member states, also condemned the targeting of peaceful nuclear facilities in June 2025.
Specific Demands Regarding Israel’s Nuclear Posture
Taking into account the “Israeli regime’s” alleged nuclear status and its history of aggressive actions and violations of international law, Iran urged the Security Council to enforce its previous resolutions on the matter. Specifically, Iran demands that the Council require Israel to:
- Renounce nuclear weapons.
- Join all relevant international legal instruments prohibiting weapons of mass destruction, especially the NPT, without delay.
- Accept full-scope IAEA safeguards.
- Place all its nuclear facilities and activities under IAEA verification and monitoring.
- Provide “formal, absolute, unconditional, and irreversible guarantees” that it will never attack any nuclear facilities in the region or beyond.
In closing, Iran reiterated that the joint military attacks by the United States and the “Israeli regime” against its peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities constitute “serious material breaches” of the peremptory norm prohibiting aggression. Tehran underscored the gravity of this situation, stressing the urgent need for a decisive response from the international community and the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security.
