Azernews.Az

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has strongly condemned a United States missile strike targeting the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant, AzerNEWS reports.

According to an official statement issued by the AEOI, US forces launched multiple projectiles at a facility within the Darkhovin site at approximately 3:39 a.m. local time. The agency slammed the operation as a blatant violation of international law and a direct assault on Iran's national sovereignty and scientific achievements. Tehran maintains that the attack was specifically designed to disrupt the country's technological and infrastructure development.

The AEOI emphasized that the Darkhovin plant—a planned 300-megawatt pressurized water reactor—falls under the comprehensive safeguards agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The statement noted that the facility is strictly intended for peaceful energy production and operates under full international oversight. Citing IAEA Resolutions 444 and 533, the organization recalled that attacking or threatening peaceful nuclear facilities violates the UN Charter and agency statutes.

Tehran has formally called on the IAEA Director-General to break his silence and condemn the strike, warning that failing to act further weakens the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and international nuclear safety frameworks.

The missile strike marks a major escalation in the latest wave of US-Iran hostilities, which reignited on July 8. The friction flared after the US military launched cross-border strikes against Iranian territory following a commercial shipping clash in the Strait of Hormuz. In tandem with the initial strikes, US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire memorandum with Iran. In retaliation, Tehran began targeting US military assets and installations across Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Oman.