Russia concerned over security risks to Bushehr NPP posed by US-Israeli aggression against Iran

ArmInfo. The risks that the US-Israeli aggression against Iran has already created for the safety of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant are of particular concern. This was stated by Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, during his speech at the IAEA Board of Governors session entitled "NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

"The threat to the plant remains, as Rosatom State Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev confirmed yesterday. Explosions are being heard literally kilometers from its physical protection line. A breach of the integrity of this nuclear facility is fraught with catastrophic consequences. We hope that the US and Israel are aware of this," Ulyanov stated.

He also emphasized that the Russian Federation does not recognize the alleged reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. According to him, the UK, Germany, and France's attempts to push the "snapback" through the UN Security Council are insignificant to us in legal and political terms.

"In this regard, the EU3 had no and still has no basis for attempting to secure a 'snapback' position at the IAEA by imposing a non-consensus anti-Iran resolution on the Board of Governors in November 2025. The Russian Federation voted against this document. We also resolutely reject and consider null and void the instruction to the Director General to report on the implementation of supposedly reinstated Security Council resolutions. The Board of Governors should be kept informed exclusively on the implementation of the IAEA Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Russian diplomat continued. He added that discussing Iran's compliance with any requirements regarding its nuclear program, as well as its technical parameters, including the notorious particles of anthropogenic uranium and reporting discrepancies, against the backdrop of events unfolding in the country and throughout the region, is not only inappropriate but also cowardly for such an authoritative body as the IAEA Board of Governors. This is a grotesque caricature of realpolitik. "What should truly concern us now is the preservation of the non- proliferation regime, the IAEA safeguards system, and the trust that states have in it. It is precisely to these that the US and Israel have dealt a crushing blow-the second in the last eight months. We must not forget that one of the states in this tandem is the NPT depository, while the other is not a party to the Treaty at all, possesses a military nuclear program, and has a dismal track record of attacks on its neighbors' nuclear facilities," Ulyanov said. The diplomat emphasized that the Russian Federation strongly condemns the unprovoked aggression of the US and Israel against Iran, as well as the confirmed strike on the Natanz facility under IAEA safeguards. Ulyanov noted that this is a brazen violation of international law, the UN and IAEA Charters, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the Agency's General Conference. We would also like to caution Member States and the Secretariat against facile assessments that direct strikes on Natanz would not result in radioactive contamination of the area and therefore pose no danger. Such conclusions are simply irresponsible. "The aggression against Iran that began on February 28 did not occur in isolation. It was a direct continuation of the unprovoked military operation by the US and Israel in June 2025, when Iranian nuclear program sites under IAEA safeguards were illegally struck," he concluded.