Iran’s ambassador asked the United Nations (UN) to pay attention to the humanitarian consequences and exposure to radiation, following a US and Israeli attack on the Bushehr nuclear plant.
In a letter sent to the UN Secretary-General, Portuguese António Guterres, on Saturday, Amir Saeed Iravani warned that attacks on nuclear installations are illegal and violate international law.
In the document, cited by the North American newspaper New York Timesthe Iranian diplomat described the attacks by the United States and Israel on nuclear power plants as “a war crime” and “a clear act of state terrorism.”
In the letter, also addressed to Bahrain, which currently presides over the UN Security Council, Iravani also highlighted that the Bushehr nuclear power plant is used only for peaceful purposes.
On Saturday, a US and Israeli attack caused the death of a security guard at the Bushehr plant, located in southern Iran, which before the war had 600 workers.
A projectile landed near the plant, built in cooperation with Russia, but the main facilities are operational.
Hours later, Russian authorities said that almost 200 employees were forced to leave the plant.
“About 20 minutes after the unfortunate attack, buses left Bushehr station towards the border between Iran and Armenia. With 198 people. This is the largest evacuation to date,” said the general director of the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, quoted by the official Russian news agency TASS.
On Thursday, Alexei Likhachev had announced that the final phase of the withdrawal of Russian employees from the plant would take place next week, but it was brought forward due to the attack.
Russia has repeatedly warned of the danger the Bushehr plant faces, as it has already suffered four attacks.
“The probability of damage, of a possible nuclear incident, unfortunately only increases, as this morning’s events confirm [sábado]” added Likhachev.
This week, Russia announced that the first unit of the nuclear power plant would continue to operate, using volunteer employees and local workers.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran, which they justified with the failure of negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program, which Tehran claims is intended only for civilian purposes.
In retaliation, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz – a fundamental maritime route for the oil market – and launched attacks against Israel, US bases and other infrastructure in countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman and Iraq.
The current situation has caused an increase in the prices of oil and other raw materials.
Lusa
Leave a Reply