IAEA closely monitors situation at Barakah Nuclear Plant

This evening, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, made remarks in which he renewed the Secretary-General’s deep concern over reports received by the United Nations indicating that yesterday’s drone attacks caused a fire in an electricity generator near the Barakah plant.

Haq stressed that any attacks on nuclear facilities are unacceptable and must be condemned as a flagrant violation of international law, and added that no further attacks should be carried out near civilian infrastructure, including nuclear power stations.

The Deputy Spokesman also referred to the Secretary-General’s repeated warnings against further escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, noting that reports of the attack near the Barakah plant constitute an additional reason for all parties to halt the fighting completely.

Responding to a question about Iran’s hardline position on the Strait of Hormuz, Haq warned that such developments could create a major global problem, explaining that they would ultimately lead to shortages of fuel and fertilisers, triggering various crises, including rising inflation, slower economic growth, and a future food crisis, which would particularly affect developing countries and those least able to bear such consequences.

In this context, he reiterated the Secretary-General’s firm position, emphasising the need to restore freedom of navigation in the region in accordance with the law of the sea and other relevant international laws.

Replying to another question about Iran’s announcement of the establishment of a new body, the “Arabian Gulf Strait Authority”, to regulate passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Deputy Spokesman expressed the United Nations’ categorical rejection of any entity seeking to restrict freedom of navigation on the high seas or in the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding Iran’s recent proposal to transfer enriched uranium to Russia rather than the United States, Haq pointed to the United Nations’ clear position rejecting any additional state’s possession of nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons programmes, stressing that the primary objective must ultimately focus on reducing the level of threat posed by such weapons worldwide.