Iranupdated 18m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 27 April 2026Abbas Araghchi Urges UN and IAEA To Condemn U.S. $20 Million Nuclear Information Reward
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Araghchi urges UN and IAEA to condemn $20 million bounty for Iran nuclear information. Move could endanger Iran’s nuclear facilities and scientists and undermine IAEA safeguards.
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Iran protests US nuclear bounty
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn a US offer of up to $20 million for information on Iran’s nuclear program. Araghchi told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN Security Council president and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi that the announcement was "abhorrent" and called for unequivocal condemnation, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.
Araghchi said the US offer was announced through the US State Department's Rewards for Justice program and reposted by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), and he described it as seeking information about nuclear facilities, equipment, scientists and personnel while offering possible relocation. Araghchi warned that the move could expose nuclear scientists and technical personnel to assassination, sabotage and other security threats, and he argued that seeking confidential information about nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards raised questions about the credibility and integrity of the agency's monitoring system.
Safeguards, espionage, and threats
Araghchi argued that normal implementation of safeguards obligations could not be expected when nuclear facilities, personnel and sensitive information were exposed to threats of attack and sabotage.
Araghchi said the US initiative could encourage espionage against Iran's nuclear program, and he warned it could endanger the country’s nuclear facilities and scientists.
Araghchi also urged Grossi to safeguard confidential information collected during inspections, prevent its misuse for intelligence purposes, and bring the matter before the IAEA Board of Governors.
Mehr reported that Araghchi wrote that the Islamic Republic of Iran requests the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council, and the IAEA Director General to clearly and unambiguously condemn the US announcement, and the letter described the US action as “abhorrent and unfortunate” and “abhorrent announcement by the U.S. State Department offering a reward of up to $20 million”.
Calls for UN action
Araghchi asked the UN Security Council to address the potential consequences for international peace and security and to hold Washington accountable for unlawful actions, while also citing Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Araghchi stressed that Article IV recognizes countries' right to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, and he said no state should seek to undermine another country's lawful peaceful nuclear activities through coercive measures, covert interference or actions that endanger the security of its nuclear facilities and scientific community.
Araghchi requested that the letters be distributed as official documents of the Security Council and the IAEA, according to Mehr.
TRT World reported that the dispute came amid tensions following a US-Israeli military offensive against Iran launched on Feb. 28, and it said Washington and Tehran remained at odds over Iran's nuclear activities, sanctions relief and the conditions for a lasting settlement.