Iran has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn a United States missile strike on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant in southwestern Iran, describing the attack as a violation of international law and a direct assault on a civilian facility under full IAEA safeguards.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said United States forces launched multiple projectiles at the Darkhovin site in Khuzestan province at approximately 3:39 a.m. local time on Sunday.
The organisation condemned the operation as a blatant violation of international law and a direct assault on Iran’s national sovereignty and scientific achievements.
Calling on the IAEA to respond, Iran said it expected the agency’s Director-General to move beyond silence and inaction and condemn the strike, warning that failure to act further undermined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the nuclear safeguards system and the IAEA statute.
The IAEA said it had reached out to the Iranian government about the reported attack and was investigating the matter.
The agency confirmed that the facility was in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when it was last visited by inspectors.
“While the reported attack is not believed to pose any radiological risk, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi reiterates his call for military restraint in the vicinity of all nuclear-related sites,” the agency said.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi described the strike on the Darkhovin plant as a dangerous assault on Iran’s civilian infrastructure and promised Tehran would respond to defend its national security.
The Darkhovin plant is a planned 300-megawatt pressurised water reactor that falls under the comprehensive safeguards agreement between Iran and the IAEA.
Tehran maintains the facility is strictly intended for peaceful energy production and operates under full international oversight.
The United States launched the strikes after two US service members were killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan on Friday, marking the first American deaths since renewed hostilities began.
The interim ceasefire deal collapsed last week, intensifying the conflict.
Iran retaliated against US allies in the Gulf on Sunday, with Kuwait accusing Tehran of targeting civilian and vital facilities in the country, saying Iran had struck a power and desalination plant for the second time in two days.
There were also signs of further turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz, where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it blocked two ships that had tried to use an alternative route.
