IAEA to hold extraordinary meeting after strikes on Iran

09:19

The International Atomic Energy Agency will convene an extraordinary meeting on Monday following recent military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, the agency announced.

According to diplomatic sources, the request for a special session was submitted by Russia, a close ally of Tehran. Moscow called for an urgent gathering of the IAEA Board of Governors to address issues linked to the attacks on Iranian territory.

Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, confirmed the move publicly. Earlier, Iran’s mission to the United Nations had also sent a formal letter to the IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, urging immediate discussion of what it described as threats against its peaceful nuclear program.

The emergency session of the 35-member Board of Governors will take place ahead of a previously scheduled regular meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna.

The IAEA, a United Nations body tasked with promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and preventing nuclear proliferation, has called for restraint to avoid risks to nuclear safety across the Middle East.

The meeting comes amid heightened regional tensions following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during recent bombardments confirmed by Tehran. Iran has since announced retaliatory strikes targeting Israeli positions and US military bases in the Gulf region.

Tehran has long rejected accusations from Washington and Tel Aviv that it seeks to develop nuclear weapons, maintaining that its program is strictly civilian. However, cooperation between Iran and the IAEA has faced repeated challenges, particularly after the escalation of hostilities earlier this year.

While inspections by the UN agency have resumed in certain areas, access remains limited at key nuclear facilities, including Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, sites that were reportedly affected during the strikes.

Diplomatic observers say the extraordinary session could prove critical in determining the next steps for international monitoring efforts and in preventing further deterioration of nuclear oversight mechanisms in an already volatile region.