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US-Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites 'unprecedented' as they targeted IAEA-inspected facilities: Top nuclear official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 16, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Mohammad Eslami, vice-president and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, says the recent US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were unprecedented in history, as the attacks targeted sites under intensive inspection by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Eslami made the remarks on Sunday while taking questions at a specialized panel held as part of a conference titled "International Law Under Assault: Aggression and Defense." The conference, held in Tehran on Sunday by the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), brought together diplomats and analysts from Iran and other countries, including France, Italy, Greece, Britain, Russia, Iraq, and Lebanon, among others.

Attacks launched in past years against nuclear facilities in other countries did not target sites subject to IAEA inspections and safeguards, Eslami noted.

"But in the Islamic Republic of Iran, what happened was an attack on nuclear facilities that had been registered with the Agency and were under constant inspection. This is the first time in history that such an attack has occurred," he said.

The official was referring to US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran's Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, which were bombed during the 12-day war of aggression launched by Israel on June 13.

He also criticized the IAEA and the UN Security Council for failing to condemn the airstrikes.

"Not only the Agency but the Security Council also refused to condemn these attacks. This is a clear example of the erosion of international law and regulations," he said, stressing that the IAEA, by remaining silent, is paving the way for increased pressure on Iran.

The vice-president said that despite the summer attack—an operation the United States claimed had 'obliterated' Iranian nuclear sites—threats against Iran continue.

"It is entirely clear that the objective is not the facilities, nor military issues or an atomic bomb, but rather the destruction of all capacities that contribute to the progress of our country," he said, noting that the first site bombed by Israel was a production facility for plate fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which is used to produce radiopharmaceuticals.

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