Russian diplomats have strongly condemned recent U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure as being an attack against global non-proliferation mechanisms.
Roman Ustinov, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, voiced harsh remarks against Iran’s strikes as they threatened the integrity of IAEA safeguards system during an interview with Iranian official news agency IRNA on June 25. Ustinov expressed this view by asserting:
“Never before have we witnessed such an open and systematic military assault on nuclear facilities subject to IAEA safeguards with an intention of their total destruction, with an explicit goal stated as their aim… This is happening right now and this constitutes an attack on nonproliferation regime itself.” thetimes.co.uk +13 +13 ==> thesaednews.com+13 (en + 13 for Syria + 13 on Facebook)
Ustinov further asserted that military interventions undermine decades of efforts to monitor and restrain nuclear proliferation. He stressed the IAEA’s credibility rests upon safeguarding nuclear sites rather than aiding their destruction; as a result, he welcomed Director General Rafael Grossi’s request for the Board’s meeting – reinforcing his call for an intensive examination of what he referred to as “an extremely dangerous new precedent”
Russia has voiced strong condemnation of the June 22 strikes by U.S. forces, labeling them as an act of unprovoked aggression that violates both the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and UN Charter. Russia condemned these strikes with equal force. Moscow repeatedly denounced them as irresponsible aggression that violates international norms and commitments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the bombings as unjustified and underscored Russia’s solidarity with Tehran during a June 23 meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (san.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com).
Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, used this platform to denounce these attacks as undermining nuclear non-proliferation order; warning of global repercussions as well as emphasizing Western hypocrisy through Western policies (Osw.waw.pl ; Kurdistan24.net and NYPost respectively).
Operation Midnight Hammer was an Israeli and U.S. air campaign launched on June 13 with the intent of disabling Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and was intended to target key sites at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. Both governments described their attacks as instrumental in stopping further progress of their nuclear ambitions whilst the attacks themselves were widely publicised as having taken place by both news sources – from The Guardian (UK), EnWiki (ENWK), Times UK etc.
Russia and other states fear these developments portend an escalation that would threaten oversight mechanisms crucial to maintaining infrastructure access and oversight mechanisms.
Rosatom chief Igor Likhachev warned Israel’s attack on Iran’s Bushehr power plant could have caused a Chernobyl-style disaster, underscoring the risks involved with military intervention against nuclear facilities (reuters.com).
Tehran has strongly protested these strikes, calling them an act of “illegal aggression” that irreparably undercut Iran’s peaceful nuclear ambitions and violated IAEA monitoring authority. Following these strikes, Iranian parliamentarians began discussions regarding restricting cooperation with IAEA moving forward.
Analysts warn of this episode’s potential to dismantle global non-proliferation efforts, with Russia viewing these developments as going beyond any bilateral dispute and warning of international law erosion and setting precedent that may inspire similar strikes elsewhere (reuters.com/+15; osw.waw.pl/ +15 and en.saednews.com/+15).
As part of Director General Grossi’s board-level consultations, diplomats from Russia and other non-aligned nations now press for increased legal protections for protected sites, transparent damage assessments and long-term remediation commitments.
Now comes the critical test: can global governance structures – particularly IAEA – resist political meddling and uphold their role amid mounting military pressure. Ustinov states clearly: this goes beyond Iran: this represents a direct challenge to nonproliferation regime itself.