Syed Zafar Mehdi
22 May 2025•Update: 22 May 2025
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran’s foreign minister said Thursday that he wrote to top UN officials demanding “effective preventive measures” following reports about Israeli plans to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
In a statement, Abbas Araghchi described reports about Israeli plans to strike Iranian nuclear sites as “alarming.”
This “warrants immediate and serious condemnation from the UN Security Council and the (nuclear watchdog) IAEA," he said.
CNN reported on Tuesday that Israel is preparing for a possible strike on Iranian nuclear sites, citing multiple US officials.
The officials said they were uncertain whether Israel would move forward with its plans, adding that they are likely observing how the ongoing Iran-US indirect nuclear negotiations, mediated by Oman, progress.
Araghchi said Israeli threats are "nothing new," calling on the UN Security Council and the IAEA to denounce such threats.
"In a letter to UN Secretary-General (Antonio) Guterres and IAEA Director-General (Rafael) Grossi, I have called on the international community to take effective preventive measures against the continuation of Israeli threats, which, if unchecked, will compel Iran to take special measures in defense of our nuclear facilities and materials," he warned.
The top diplomat described his letter as a "serious pre-action warning," stressing that the "nature, content, and extent" of Iran’s response "will correspond and be proportionate to preventive measures taken by these international bodies in accordance with their statutory duties and obligations."
He also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to "derail diplomacy (with the US) and divert attention from his ICC arrest warrant."
Iran, Araghchi warned, will "forcefully respond to any transgression and will stop at nothing to protect its interests and people."
This development comes just a day after Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the fifth round of indirect nuclear talks with the US will be held in Rome on Friday.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed skepticism about the ongoing negotiations with Washington, saying that he does not believe they will yield any meaningful results.
Khamenei also dismissed recent demands from US officials for Iran to dismantle its uranium enrichment program, calling the remarks “nonsense.”
Notably, uranium enrichment has emerged as a key sticking point in the ongoing negotiations, with Iran asserting that its enrichment program will continue "with or without a deal."
