US-Israeli attacks on Iran nuclear sites carry severe risks: Araghchi

• By Al Mayadeen English
• 5 Apr 2026 14:08

Iran’s foreign minister warns that US-Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities, including Bushehr, risk radioactive contamination and threaten regional security.

Warnings are mounting over the consequences of the ongoing attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, as US-Israeli airstrikes targeting civilian nuclear sites raise fears of radioactive contamination across the region.

In identical letters sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and members of the Security Council, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that the targeted facilities are devoted exclusively to peaceful purposes and operate under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards regime.

“These unlawful attacks expose the entire region to the risk of radioactive contamination with grave humanitarian and environmental consequences, and as such shall not be left unattended,” the letters read.

Bushehr nuclear power plant at center of concerns

Particular concern has been directed at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where repeated attacks on the active facility have heightened fears of a radiological disaster that impacts not only Iran, but the wider region.

Strikes carried out in close proximity to such a site represent a significant escalation, given the potential for catastrophic environmental and humanitarian fallout.

“The aggressors’ repeated strikes in the vicinity of the active nuclear power plant in Bushehr is extremely alarming; their proximity to an active nuclear facility constitutes an intolerable escalation entailing a grave risk of radiological release,” Araghchi said.

UN and IAEA response slammed

He also sharply criticized the IAEA's lack of response to the US-Israeli attacks, particularly as international bodies fail to take a clear stance. While this has been the precedent, as seen during the 12-day war on Iran, Aaraghchi blasted the nuclear agency and the United Nations for their lack of action. 

Over the past nine months, he noted, Iran has faced two wars of aggression involving the US and "Israel", despite Washington’s role as a depository of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and "Israel’s" non-inclusion in the treaty.

Throughout both onslaughts, nuclear facilities designated for peaceful use were targeted. Yet, the United Nations Security Council, the IAEA Board of Governors, and the agency’s leadership have not issued formal condemnations or taken preventive action, Araghchi added.

“With grave disappointment, [they] have flatly failed even to condemn the illegal attacks, let alone undertake effective measures within their mandate to prevent their recurrence,” the letter stated.

Escalation risks and radioactive contamination warning

Araghchi also raised concerns over statements by US officials suggesting that nuclear facilities remain potential targets, which further escalates tensions.

“Now the US senior officials, who label international humanitarian law as ‘stupid,’ have gained the audacity to state that nuclear facilities are among their targets,” the letter noted.

The US permanent representative to the United Nations has also indicated that a strike on Bushehr is “not off the table,” reinforcing fears of continued escalation.

Such developments significantly increase the radioactive contamination risk in the region, with potential consequences extending beyond Iran’s borders.

Read more: Israeli regime says awaits US green light to bomb energy facilities

Iran warns of consequences for global non-proliferation regime

The continued lack of response from international institutions has raised broader concerns about accountability and global nuclear governance.

Failure to address attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities, he said, risks undermining the credibility of the United Nations, the IAEA, and the wider non-proliferation framework.

If left unchecked, such actions could erode trust among member states and weaken mechanisms designed to prevent nuclear escalation. “The consequences of such inaction would not be confined to Iran,” Araghchi's letter concluded.

Read more: Aggressors aim to trigger nuclear catastrophe at Bushehr: Russia FM