Iran Says U.S. Membership of IAEA Board of Governors Conflicts with Agency Statute
In a statement at the IAEA’s 70th General Conference, Iran called for Washington’s membership to be suspended, citing alleged attacks on Iran and a structural conflict of interest.
Iran has objected to the United States’ membership on the IAEA Board of Governors, arguing that alleged U.S. attacks against Iran create a conflict of interest and violate the principles of the agency’s statute. At the IAEA’s 70th General Conference, the Iranian delegation called for Washington’s membership to be suspended and said board membership should depend on compliance with statutory obligations, not technological capability alone. The statement cited alleged attacks on safeguarded Iranian nuclear facilities and alleged civilian casualties, but no independent verification or response from the United States or the IAEA was included in the supplied evidence.
Iran has rejected the United States’ designation as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, arguing that Washington’s alleged military actions against Iran make its participation incompatible with the agency’s statute.
The position was set out in a statement by the Iranian delegation on Thursday under agenda item eight of the IAEA’s 70th General Conference, concerning the election of members to the Board of Governors. According to the statement, Iran called for the suspension of U.S. membership and said that allowing the United States to sit on the board would enable a country accused of aggression to judge matters directly connected to its own conduct.
Iran described the arrangement as a “structural conflict of interest,” saying it could weaken the board’s impartiality, call its decisions into question and further undermine confidence in the IAEA. The delegation said Tehran had already objected to the United States’ selection during a meeting of the Board of Governors and that repeating the objection at the General Conference was a matter of preserving legality, accountability and the agency’s credibility.
The Iranian statement argued that the IAEA statute must be interpreted and implemented in accordance with the international rules governing treaties and in light of all of its provisions. It specifically referred to paragraph B-1 of Article 3 and paragraph B of Article 4, which the delegation said require the agency and its members to act consistently with the purposes and principles of the United Nations and to work toward promoting peace and advancing disarmament.
Iran also maintained that membership qualifications for the Board of Governors cannot be assessed solely on the basis of technological capability. In its view, members must also comply in good faith with their statutory obligations and the broader principles underlying the agency’s mandate.
The delegation accused the United States of carrying out what it described as extensive aggression against Iran in 2025 and 2026. It characterized those actions as a fundamental violation of the prohibition on the use of force, which it called one of the foundational principles of the United Nations.
The statement further referred to what it described as war crimes by the United States, including the killing of 168 children between the ages of seven and 12 at a primary school in Minab. These allegations were presented by the Iranian delegation as part of the case against U.S. membership on the board; the supplied account does not provide an independent assessment of them.
Iran also alleged that the United States, together with Israel, carried out 18 waves of attacks against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities operating under safeguards. The delegation said such attacks violated General Conference resolutions, the principles of the United Nations, international law and the IAEA statute. It argued that attacks on safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities were plainly inconsistent with the agency’s responsibility to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
The Iranian delegation framed its objection around the requirement that IAEA members act in good faith. It questioned how a country accused of seriously violating the statute could credibly claim to be fulfilling its obligations under that same instrument. The statement asked whether the United States’ membership should be suspended under paragraph B of Article 19.
Iran concluded by emphasizing the sensitive responsibilities of the Board of Governors as one of the IAEA’s principal bodies. It formally rejected the United States’ designation and declared that it did not consider itself bound by the decision.
The statement represents Iran’s stated legal and political position on the composition of the IAEA’s governing body. The supplied evidence records the Iranian delegation’s allegations and interpretation of the agency’s statute, but does not include a response from the United States, the IAEA or other conference participants, nor does it independently verify the claims concerning the alleged attacks or casualties.