Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Gholamhossein Darzi stressed Iran’s inalienable right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including uranium enrichment.
He also criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Security Council for failing to condemn the attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities, while emphasizing that Tehran remains committed to cooperation with the Agency to the extent permitted by prevailing security conditions.
What follows is the full text of his statement:
Mr. President,
The Agency’s reporting must remain professional, objective, factual, and free from political influence. Its credibility depends on impartiality and technical integrity.
Nuclear energy is indispensable to development and energy security. Article IV of the NPT affirms the inalienable right of all States Parties to develop research, production, and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II. Yet certain States systematically demonize this right and weaponize proliferation concerns to pressure States into abandoning their national nuclear fuel cycles.
The United States, an NPT depositary, openly questions the very existence of States Parties’ right to pursue the full nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium enrichment. Denying States access to this essential technology while claiming to uphold their right to peaceful nuclear energy violates Article IV. No State can unilaterally rewrite the Treaty or impose its own political veto on the legitimate rights of other States Parties.
In response to Iran’s resolute defense of its inalienable rights under the NPT, the United States and the nuclear-armed Israeli regime launched two wars of aggression against Iran in 2025 and 2026, massively targeting its peaceful nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
These aggressions caused immense destruction and killed thousands, including our martyred Leader, whose well-known fatwa rejects nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. They also violated international law, the UN Charter, the IAEA Statute, relevant IAEA General Conference resolutions, and Security Council resolution 487 (1981).
Neither the IAEA General Conference, the IAEA Board of Governors, nor the Director General has condemned these attacks. The Security Council has likewise failed to do so. The Director General has once again failed to condemn these attacks in his statements delivered today under this agenda item. Instead, pressure is directed against the victim while the aggressors escape accountability.
Certain Western delegations continue to invoke so-called proliferation concerns while refusing to condemn attacks against safeguarded peaceful nuclear facilities. This is not a consistent commitment to non-proliferation; it is the weaponization of non-proliferation for political purposes.
The hypocrisy of this approach is blatant. Iran, an NPT State Party since 1970, has consistently affirmed its commitment to its international obligations and diplomacy. Yet its peaceful nuclear programme and safeguarded facilities have been subjected to political pressure and military attacks, while the Secretariat’s withholding of technical cooperation deprives Iran of the benefits of peaceful nuclear development that the Agency is mandated to promote. Meanwhile, the Israeli regime—the region’s sole possessor of nuclear weapons, with unsafeguarded nuclear facilities—continues to enjoy impunity. This selective application of non-proliferation standards exposes the political motives behind the pressure on Iran and undermines the credibility of the international non-proliferation regime.
These same delegations demand access for inspectors while military threats persist, disregarding the extraordinary circumstances created by aggression. Let us be clear: Iran has neither abandoned nor formally suspended its safeguards obligations. However, aggression has fundamentally altered the physical and security conditions for their implementation. The Agency’s own reports acknowledge that verification activities ceased and inspectors were withdrawn for safety reasons. Those same safety concerns cannot be ignored when their return is demanded.
The continued existence of safeguards obligations does not eliminate the need to assess whether verification can be performed safely and effectively. No country can reasonably be expected to provide access amid military operations and persistent threats without adequate safety guarantees. Responsibility for creating these circumstances lies with the aggressors, not their victim.
Iran will continue to cooperate with the Agency to the extent circumstances permit. However, such cooperation cannot come at the expense of the safety of its people, facilities, or IAEA inspectors.
Thank you.