(Main Committee III) Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

🇷🇺 Russian Federation, 🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran

1. 🇷🇺 Russian FederationFirst reply▶ 2:40:10 · 4 min

   Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At the outset, I wish to congratulate you on your election to the post of Chair. We stand ready to provide you with comprehensive support as you discharge your duties. Distinguished Mr. Chairman, throughout the discussion we had a host of delegations and a representative of one intergovernmental association, allegations were levelled at the Russian Federation. There is No rationale. These j allegations go beyond the confines of the NPT. They don't further the objectives of the conference, and in fact, uh they undermine this uh review conference cycle. Against this backdrop, what particularly drew our attention was the unprofessional, irresponsible, and aggressive statement delivered by the representative of the European Commission, sister speaker, which contained unjustified and mendacious allegations levelled at the Russian Federation. We believe that the European Commission being allowed to take the floor as part of the review process uh to be a mistake. Our response is the following. We reject all of the statements to the effect that the Russian Federation supposedly struck the new safe confinement at the Chernobyl NPP. This clearly is a provocation on the part of Ukraine. Let us remind you that the Russian Federation made a significant financial contribution to the building of the new confinement as part of the Chernobyl fund to that end. The ZNPP is a Russian nuclear facility. It is now under Russian jurisdiction following the September 2022 referendum that was held in Zaporozhye region due to the vote that was taken at that referendum. Ukraine regularly creates threats to the ZNPP. Throughout this conference alone, the Ukrainian Armed Force Forces struck at least six times. With drones and also conducted one mass strike using artillery. These were strikes aimed at facilities which seek to ensure the functioning of the ZNPP. Facilities which are very close to the ZNPP industrial complex. As a result of the strike, one person died. UAVs were also launched by the Ukraine to other NPPs in the Russian Federation. There were attacks on uh the staff at these various facilities. There were also psychological threats uh issued to these staff and their families. This is what Ukraine is doing. All of Kiev's actions would be impossible without the material, moral, political, and technical support on the part of NATO and EU countries. Let us underscore that it is NATO and the EU, as well as their allies, who bear responsibility for Ukraine's actions. All of the aforementioned states must immediately stop any cooperation with Ukraine. Let us also note that a number of delegations flagged these so-called seven principles, which have been completely compromised by the fact that they've been mentioned solely with a view to supporting Ukraine. And this, despite the fact that the Russian Federation is doing nothing in contravention of these principles, which are not binding but rather reasonable. Nevertheless, Western delegations And the IEA Secretariat are forgetting about these principles. They forget about them when we talk about attacks against uh the nuclear facilities of Russia and Iran. Therefore, we believe that the seven principles their mention, well, it is uh completely inappropriate. I thank you.

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2. 🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of IranFirst reply▶ 2:44:12 · 4 min

   Thank you, Mr. Chair. In response to the unfounded allegations raised by certain delegations against Iran's Boucher nuclear power plant, the exercise of the right of reply to place the facts on record and underscore the evident double standard. The safety of the Boucher nuclear power plant is of the highest priority for my country. Accordingly, every necessary measure has been taken to ensure that it adheres to the most stringent international safety standards. Its safety has been duly certified by Iran's National Nuclear Regulatory Authority and independently verified by the IAEA through an operational safety review team. An IAEA led operational safety review team mission has been carried out at the Boucher Nuclear Power Plant. This mission, comprising experts from multiple countries, assessed the plant's operational safety against IAEA safeguard standards. The Operational Safety Review Team process is a well-established independent peer review mechanism, coordinated by the IAEA, and represents a rigorous technical evaluation of safety performance. There is, therefore, no credible basis for the concerns that has been expressed. It is, however, striking that the same delegations advancing such claims have remained silent in the face of armed attacks carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities under the full scope IAEA safeguards. These attacks constitute a real and immediate threat to nuclear safety and security, with grave consequences for civilians and the environment across the region. Notably, the same Boucher nuclear power plant, about whose safety these delegations now express concern, has itself been subject to such attacks. Yet this is deliberately omitted from their statement. Several strikes occurred in this plant, and Iran duly informed the IAEA of these incidents. This includes damage caused by shock waves and projectile fragments to site structures, as well as the tragic loss of a member of the facility's physical protection personnel. In another instance, a structure located approximately 350 meters from the reactor was hit and destroyed. Instead of addressing these real and urgent dangers, these delegations have chosen to promote unfounded narratives about a facility that operates in line with the highest standards of nuclear safety and security. We also witnessed today in this committee a striking display of hypocrisy and double standards by certain Western delegations. While they declined to condemn the attacks carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities under the IAEA safeguards, a matter that should have been among the main focuses of this review conference, particularly in Maine Committee 3, they readily advance unfounded allegations this morning in Maine Committee 2 regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program. Such inconsistency calls into question their objectivity and undermines confidence in their stated commitment to the treaty. Rather than strengthening the credibility of the NPT, these approaches risk eroding it. I thank you, Mr. Chair.

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Verbatim from the transcript. A reply is identified from its own words, the Chair's grant, or its place in the right-of-reply sequence; delegations and addressees follow the transcript's attribution.