Iran’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities pose a threat to regional stability, citing concerns raised by United Nations human rights rapporteurs.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state media that UN rights experts had warned such actions were particularly worrying because Israel is the only holder of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
He said the experts compared the reported assaults to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which mark their 80th anniversary this year.
In a post on the social media platform X, Baghaei said the UN rapporteurs had expressed “deep concern” over attacks in Gaza and warned that Israel’s strikes against several neighbors, including recent attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, undermine stability across the region.
The UN experts condemned the attacks in June, saying, “These attacks represent a flagrant violation of fundamental principles of international law, a blatant act of aggression and a violation of jus cogens norms—peremptory rules of international law from which no derogation is permitted.”
On June 13, Israel launched land and air strikes targeting senior Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists, and politicians, while damaging or destroying Iranian air defenses and nuclear facilities. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities and military sites. On the ninth day of fighting, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran then struck a US base in Qatar.
A US-brokered ceasefire was reached on June 24. Both sides claimed victory, with Israel and Washington saying they had significantly degraded Iran’s missile and nuclear programs -- claims Tehran denied. Independent assessments remain limited due to the secrecy surrounding Iran’s nuclear activities.
