By SCM Staff Correspondent I April 7, 2026
TEHRAN — Iran’s Foreign Minister, Sayyed Abbas Araghchi, issued a blistering appeal to the United Nations on Friday, accusing the United States and Israel of a systematic campaign of air strikes against the country’s safeguarded nuclear facilities.
In a formal letter addressed to the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran warned that continued “recklessness” threatened to unleash a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe across the Persian Gulf.
The diplomatic missive, dated April 3, marks a sharp escalation in rhetoric following what Araghchi described as two “wars of aggression” imposed on Iran since last June. The Foreign Minister detailed a timeline of strikes beginning in late February, specifically highlighting multiple hits on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, an active facility operating under international safeguards.
“These unlawful attacks expose the entire region to the risk of radioactive contamination,” Araghchi wrote, characterizing the strikes as a “blatant violation” of international law and the Geneva Conventions, which provide specific protections for nuclear electrical generating stations.
The letter provides a granular, and deeply concerning, list of targets allegedly struck during the month of March:
Bushehr: The plant’s perimeter was reportedly struck three times between March 17 and March 27.
Natanz: The primary enrichment site was allegedly targeted on March 1 and March 21.
Arak & Yazd: Strikes were reported on the Khondab-Arak Heavy Water Plant and the Ardakan-Yazd Uranium Processing Site on March 27.
The Iranian government expressed particular alarm over the proximity of explosions to the active reactor at Bushehr. Araghchi warned that a breach of the facility could lead to “widespread, long-term, and severe” damage to the natural environment, potentially poisoning the Persian Gulf and affecting the public health of neighboring states.
Beyond the battlefield, Tehran’s ire was directed at the institutions designed to prevent such conflicts. Araghchi accused the UN Security Council and the IAEA of a “flat failure” to condemn the attacks, suggesting that international inaction has “emboldened the aggressors.”
In a notable shift, the Foreign Minister also leveled personal criticism at the IAEA Director General. The letter accused the Agency’s head of leaking sensitive safeguards information during media interviews in March and, more provocatively, of making statements that “risk normalizing the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons” against Iran.
”Transparency and cooperation with the Agency cannot, in and of themselves, be relied upon as guarantees of national security,” Araghchi noted, hinting that Iran’s future participation in the non-proliferation regime could be at risk if the strikes continue.
The accusations come amid a period of unprecedented volatility in the Middle East. While the U.S. has previously stated it seeks to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the targeting of active power plants marks a significant shift in the rules of engagement.
Araghchi specifically cited recent comments by U.S. officials who allegedly labeled international humanitarian law as “stupid” and refused to take the Bushehr plant off the target list.
As of Tuesday evening, neither the Pentagon nor the Israeli Prime Minister’s office had issued a formal response to the specific allegations in Araghchi’s letter.
The United Nations has confirmed receipt of the document and, per Iran’s request, it is expected to be circulated as an official document of the Security Council. However, with the council deeply divided, it remains unclear if any formal condemnation or “effective measures” will follow.
For now, the region remains on edge, watching the skies over Bushehr.
