Twelve countries warn against normalizing attacks on peaceful nuclear sites

Iran and 11 other countries have warned that attacks against nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards must never be accepted as normal, stressing that such actions violate international law and threaten nuclear safety and global non-proliferation efforts.

“Nuclear facilities shall never, under any circumstances, be subjected to attack or threat of attack,” the countries said in a joint statement delivered at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee on Friday.

The statement was issued by Belarus, Burkina Faso, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Zimbabwe, addressing the prohibition of attacks and threats against nuclear sites dedicated to peaceful purposes.

The countries reaffirmed “the inalienable right of all states to develop research, production, and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination.”

They underscored that attacks or threats against nuclear facilities violate the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the IAEA Statute, adding that such actions are “profoundly inconsistent with the objects and purposes of the NPT,” referring to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The statement also recalled UN Security Council Resolution 487 (1981), which strongly condemned a military attack against nuclear facilities, as well as relevant decisions and resolutions adopted by the IAEA General Conference.

The 12 countries warned that attacks against nuclear facilities have “grave implications for nuclear safety, nuclear security” and pose a serious threat to the credibility and effectiveness of the IAEA safeguards system and the wider global non-proliferation framework.

They also cautioned that such attacks could undermine the peaceful use of nuclear energy and international cooperation, potentially triggering radioactive releases with severe consequences both inside and beyond the affected country.

“Silence in the face of attacks against safeguarded nuclear facilities undermines established international norms, erodes confidence in the international legal order, and risks the normalization of such attacks,” the statement said.

The countries underlined the importance of fully implementing the IAEA’s objectives, particularly its mandate to expand the contribution of atomic energy to “peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world.”

The statement urged governments to express “a clear and unequivocal opposition to any attack, or threat of attack, against nuclear facilities,” emphasizing the need for a united international response to prevent such actions from becoming an accepted practice.

The joint statement comes after two rounds of US-Israeli military attacks on Iran in 2025 and 2026, which targeted Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities.

In June 2025, Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, including Natanz, before the United States struck the Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear complexes in a 12-day war of aggression against the country.

The second round of aggression began on February 28, 2026, with US-Israeli attacks targeting military and nuclear-related sites across Iran. The assaults targeted facilities involved in uranium production, heavy-water production, and nuclear research.