19 July 2026 21:20 (UTC+04:00)
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.
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