I urge the ambassadors whose countries are members of the IAEA Board of Governors to relay this message to their capitals.
Our expectation, and that of the international community, is a firm condemnation of the attack on nuclear facilities and even punishment for the regime’s actions.
This may be the last red line in international law that the Zionist regime has crossed. If the international community remains indifferent to these red lines, the consequences will undoubtedly affect all other nations.
 
Another point I wish to highlight is that, in our view, Israel’s aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran could not have occurred without US support.
We have solid evidence of US forces and bases in the region assisting the Zionist regime’s attacks. We have closely monitored and possess substantial proof of how US forces aided the Zionist regime, but more telling than our evidence are the explicit statements of the US president expressing support. Therefore, we consider the US complicit in these attacks and demand it take responsibility.
In our response to the Zionist regime, we have focused on targets within the occupied territories.
We do not seek to expand the war unless forced to. We never wanted this war and were engaged in diplomacy regarding our nuclear program. But this aggression was imposed on us.
We are defending ourselves; our defense is entirely legitimate and resolute. It is a response to aggression. If the aggression stops, naturally, our reactions will also cease.
Today, we were supposed to hold the sixth round of nuclear talks in Muscat. As I have repeatedly stated, we are confident in the peaceful nature of our nuclear program and have no issue demonstrating this to the world, as we did in the 2015 nuclear agreement.
We are ready for any agreement aimed at ensuring Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons; as this is our own doctrine, rooted in our belief in the prohibition and illegitimacy of nuclear weapons. However, if the goal of an agreement is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, naturally, we cannot accept such a deal.
Based on this same rationale, we entered into negotiations with the United States and held five rounds of talks. In the sixth round, we were prepared to present our own proposal for a potential agreement to the American side. During the previous round, the US had presented us with a proposal that contained problematic elements and was unacceptable from our perspective. We had communicated our positions and prepared a counterproposal to present at today's meeting. We firmly believed our proposal could have paved the way for reaching an agreement.
It is abundantly clear that the Israeli regime does not want any nuclear agreement, negotiations, or diplomacy. Attacking Iran amid nuclear talks demonstrates the Israeli regime’s opposition to any form of dialogue.
If you recall, in past years, Israel repeatedly resorted to assassinations and sabotage to derail negotiations.
In the spring of 2021, during Vienna talks on reviving the JCPOA, Israel sabotaged the Natanz enrichment facility, damaging its power supply and centrifuges. Their goal was to disrupt negotiations. In response, we announced an increase in enrichment to 60%. Later, all damaged centrifuges were replaced with more advanced ones.
This latest attack was also aimed at destroying diplomacy, and we regret that the US government has aligned itself with this move.
Over the past two days, we have received messages through various channels claiming the US had no involvement in the attack. But we do not believe this claim and have evidence to the contrary.
If the US truly holds this position, it should publicly and explicitly state its stance. Private messages are insufficient. To demonstrate goodwill, the US must condemn the attack on nuclear facilities and clearly distance itself from this conflict.

I hope the international community pays adequate attention and responds appropriately to the crimes and aggressions of the Zionist regime, which has violated all principles of international law. This is the best path to peace in the region and the world.
Thank you for your attention.

Израильская террористическая атака на здание СМИ в Иране

By Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman of Iran’s foreign ministry
Israel's war of aggression and Iran's legitimate response

TEHRAN – In the early morning hours of 13 June 2025, Israel launched an unprovoked, large-scale armed attack against Iran. This was an egregious act of aggression by every definition. Through coordinated air, missile, and drone strikes, it targeted residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure, public authorities, and nuclear facilities subject to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

These actions constitute a serious and unambiguous violation of international law, in particular International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, and the Charter of the United Nations. In one particularly atrocious instance, an Israeli strike on a residential building resulted in the killing of 60 civilians, including 35 children and women. In a new wave of military operations, Israel started to target infrastructure and industrial sites as well.

The main pretext for the attack was Iran’s nuclear program. As verified time and time again by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran’s nuclear installations are used exclusively for peaceful purposes and remain subject to the most comprehensive and intrusive inspection regime administered under international auspices. The Israeli regime’s targeting of these safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities constitutes a deliberate act of aggression and a flagrant violation of international law and the legal framework governing nuclear safety and security.

As reaffirmed by the Director General of the IAEA, Mr. Rafael Grossi, during the recent emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, IAEA General Conference Resolutions GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533 make clear that any armed attack against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the UN Charter, the Statute of the IAEA, and fundamental principles of international law. These resolutions underscore the grave risks such attacks pose to nuclear safety and security and highlight their profoundly destabilizing impact on regional and international peace.
The nature of the attack leaves no room for ambiguity: It constitutes an act of aggression in direct violation of international law. The legal threshold has been clearly crossed.

The Israeli regime has a long-standing and well-documented record of unlawful use of force against sovereign States. Its repeated targeting of civilian populations, critical infrastructure, and protected sites reflects a systematic contempt for the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. This latest assault is not an isolated episode; it is part of a consistent policy that weaponizes coercion and openly defies the international legal order. The rule of law is not being neglected—it is being willfully dismantled.

The broader context of the Israeli regime’s conduct must be recognized. Israel is currently subject to proceedings before the International Court of Justice for alleged acts of genocide in Gaza, and its senior
leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, faces credible allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including through the deliberate targeting of civilians, the use of starvation as a method of warfare, and the systematic imposition of collective punishment. These are not isolated incidents. They form part of an enduring policy of militarized repression, institutionalized impunity, and disregard for the core tenets of international law, including human rights and humanitarian law.

At a moment when the credibility of the international system is under intense scrutiny, the selective application of legal principles and reliance on political expediency threaten to displace the foundational values of consistency, accountability, and the rule of law.