Russia claims Western nations told lies about Iran’s nuclear program

(MENAFN) Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia has accused the United States and Israel of spreading false information about Iran’s nuclear program in order to justify military strikes. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Nebenzia condemned the recent attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities as violations of international law and warned they posed a serious risk of radioactive contamination.

He cited reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as evidence that Iran’s nuclear activities do not pose a proliferation threat. “Nowhere in the IAEA reports is there any indication that Iran has repurposed its nuclear materials for undeclared or military objectives,” Nebenzia emphasized, adding that claims by Western nations suggesting otherwise were misleading and designed to deceive uninformed or inexperienced audiences.

Calling the strikes “yet another attempt to legitimize the use of force outside the UN Charter,” Nebenzia reaffirmed Moscow’s position that the military action lacked legal justification.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi also confirmed in an interview with Sky News that the agency had no evidence of Iran actively developing nuclear weapons, though he acknowledged some concerns over uranium enrichment levels reaching 60%.

Meanwhile, Israeli ambassador Danny Danon defended his country’s actions, insisting that the airstrikes launched on June 13 were meant to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear arms. Iran has strongly rejected the accusations, maintaining that its nuclear program is purely civilian in nature, and has since announced it will scale back cooperation with the IAEA.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel, facilitated by the United States, came into effect on Tuesday and is currently holding.

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