Mr. President,
The Chinese delegation aligns itself with the joint statement delivered by Iran.
On September 1, the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization adopted a declaration on enhancing multilateral partnership for nuclear safety and security, in which we strongly condemn any attacks or threats of attacks against peaceful nuclear facilities, deeming such actions a violation of international law, and calling for the avoidance of such acts that threaten international peace and security.
Since June last year, the United States and Israel have launched military strikes on Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, setting a dangerous precedent in which a permanent member of the UN Security Council, depositary states of the NPT, together with a nuclear-weapon state, conduct military strikes on the IAEA-safeguarded nuclear facilities of a non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT. This is not merely an attack on nuclear facilities, but a severe blow to the NPT and the IAEA regime.
This year, several nuclear facilities, including the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, have faced attacks and threats. Military strikes against peaceful nuclear facilities constitute a serious violation of the UN Charter and international law. They carry the risk of triggering nuclear leakages or even nuclear disasters, and undermine the credibility of the IAEA safeguards system as well as the authority of the non-proliferation regime. The entire international community should oppose such actions. The IAEA Director General has also repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment. Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security.
China has always advocated for the peaceful resolution of nuclear non-proliferation issues through dialogue and negotiation, and opposed sanctions and pressure.. Certain country, ignoring the fact that UN Security Council Resolution 2231 expired and terminated in October 2025, has insisted on forcefully pushing for the snapback of UNSC sanctions against Iran, obstructing the head of Iran delegation from attending the IAEA General Conference, and even attempting to challenge the right of other regional groups to nominate General Committee members by consensus. Such practices not only further undermine the cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, but also impede the political settlement process of the Iranian nuclear issue.
President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, advocating a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, calling for adherence to the international rule of law, and emphasizing the need to uphold the authority and seriousness of international law. Major powers, in particular, should take the lead in advocating and safeguarding the international rule of law. We call on IAEA Member States to make principled, responsible, and constructive joint efforts to uphold international rule of law and principles, and to jointly safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and the IAEA safeguards system.