Iran says US membership on IAEA Board of Governors conflicts with agency statute
Iranian delegation calls for Washington’s membership to be suspended, citing alleged US attacks and a structural conflict of interest
Iran said at the IAEA’s 70th General Conference that US membership on the agency’s Board of Governors conflicts with the IAEA statute. The Iranian delegation called for the membership to be suspended, arguing that alleged US attacks against Iran create a conflict of interest and violate international and agency principles.
LONDON — Iran has said that the United States’ membership on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is inconsistent with the agency’s statute and called for its suspension.
In a statement issued Thursday during the IAEA’s 70th General Conference, under the agenda item on the election of Board of Governors members, the Iranian delegation said Washington’s presence on the board allows a country to judge issues directly linked to its own actions.
The delegation described this as a structural conflict of interest that undermines the board’s impartiality, calls its decisions into question and further reduces confidence in the agency. It said Iran’s objection to the US membership, previously raised at a Board of Governors meeting, was repeated at the General Conference in the interests of legality, accountability and the IAEA’s credibility.
Iran said the agency’s statute must be interpreted and implemented in accordance with international rules governing treaties and with consideration of all its provisions. It cited provisions requiring the agency and its members to act in line with the purposes and principles of the United Nations and to promote peace and disarmament.
The Iranian delegation also argued that eligibility for membership on the Board of Governors cannot be based solely on technological capability and said members must fulfill their statutory obligations in good faith.
The statement accused the United States of carrying out what Iran described as extensive attacks against the country in 2025 and 2026, including alleged violations of the prohibition on the use of force. It also referred to the reported killing of 168 children between the ages of 7 and 12 at a school in Minab, and alleged that the United States and Israel had conducted 18 waves of attacks against Iran’s peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities.
Iran said those attacks violated United Nations principles, international law and the IAEA statute, and conflicted with the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It questioned how a country with what it called such a record of serious violations could claim to be fulfilling its obligations in good faith, and referred to Article 19(b) of the statute in calling for the suspension of US membership.
The delegation concluded that Iran rejects the designation of the United States to the Board of Governors and does not consider itself bound by that decision.