Summary

ISTANBUL: Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Saturday (April 4) that US-Israeli attacks on the country's nuclear facilities could expose the entire region to radioactive contamination, calling for urgent international action, Anadolu Ajansi reported. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, members of the Security Council, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Grossi, Araghchi said continued strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure pose serious environmental and human risks. "These illegal attacks expose the entire region to a serious risk of radioactive contamination, which could have grave consequences for human health and the environment, and therefore must not be ignored," he said in the letter, according to the IRNA news agency. Araghchi said the attacks have targeted facilities under international safeguards, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which he described as dedicated solely to peaceful purposes and operating under the IAEA supervision. He accused the US and Israel of repeatedly striking Iran's nuclear infrastructure in recent months while criticising international bodies for failing to respond. "In less than nine months, the United States … and Israel … have launched two aggressive wars against the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. Araghchi said the lack of condemnation by the UN and the IAEA has emboldened further attacks. He also warned that statements by US officials suggesting nuclear facilities could be targeted, including the Bushehr plant, have heightened concerns. "Now, high-ranking US officials, who have described international humanitarian law as 'folly,' have dared to declare that nuclear facilities are among their targets. The US Permanent Mission to the United Nations has publicly stated that attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant are 'not out of the question'," he said. The minister listed multiple reported strikes on nuclear-related sites since late February, including two separate attacks on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on March 1 and the bombing of Shahid Ahmadi Roshan uranium processing site on March 27. He said repeated strikes near the operational Bushehr plant were particularly alarming. "The proximity of these attacks to an operating nuclear facility creates an intolerable situation and poses a serious risk of radioactive leakage," he said. Earlier in the day, US and Israeli strikes hit Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, killing one person. The attack came as regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb 28, killing over 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. - Bernama-Anadolu