Atomic chief Mohammad Eslami says Bushehr plant targeted four times; latest attack killed security staff. IAEA’s mere ‘expressions of concern’ embolden aggressors, he warns.
DUBAI — Iran’s atomic energy chief has accused the United Nations nuclear watchdog of “inaction” over attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, warning that strikes on its only operating reactor could trigger a radioactive disaster with “irreparable consequences” for people, the environment, and neighboring countries.
In a letter addressed to the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday, Mohammad Eslami said the agency’s failure to take decisive action “emboldens aggression” against nuclear sites such as the Bushehr power plant.
Eslami stated that Iran’s sole functioning nuclear power plant has been targeted four times so far. The most recent attack in the vicinity of the plant occurred on April 4, killing a security staff member and injuring others, he added.
He warned that such attacks risk the release of radioactive material from an operating reactor — a scenario he described as a clear breach of international law.
Criticizing what he called the IAEA’s “lack of decisive action,” Eslami said mere expressions of concern are insufficient and would only encourage further strikes.
