‘Serious risk of radioactive contamination’: Iran’s foreign minister writes to UN over Bushehr nuclear strike

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in response to the recent US and Israeli attacks on Tehran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.“The repeated attacks by the aggressors near the Bushehr nuclear power plant are very worrying. They expose the entire region to serious risks of radioactive contamination, causing serious human and environmental consequences,” Araghchi wrote in the letter.This comes after a projectile struck near the perimeter of the Bushehr plant on Saturday, killing a physical protection worker at the plant and damaging a nearby building.Reports confirmed that while auxiliary buildings were affected, the main plant and power production were not damaged.Araghchi stressed that such attacks, close to operating nuclear facilities, would create intolerable situations and could lead to the release of radioactive materials. He urged the international community to focus on preventing the escalation of nuclear infrastructure problems.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), led by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, also expressed deep concern over the incident. In a statement shared on X, the agency confirmed that this was the fourth attack near Bushehr in recent weeks.Grossi said: “Nuclear power plants and their surrounding areas must not be targeted. Auxiliary buildings may contain critical safety equipment. Maximum military restraint is essential to prevent nuclear accidents.”The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that there was no increase in radiation levels at the site and stressed that an attack near a nuclear facility would significantly increase the risk of a potential accident.The Bushehr incident is part of a series of attacks in recent conflicts in West Asia. The war that broke out on February 28 involves Iran, Israel and the United States.