Statement by Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran before the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva 19 February 2026

Statement

In Exercising the Right to Reply

By

Mr. Mohammad Hossein SAYYADNEJAD

Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Before the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 19 February 2026

 

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

 

Thank you, Mr. President,

As this is the first time I take the floor under your presidency, please allow me to congratulate you on assuming this responsibility and to thank Mongolia for demonstrating a capable and commendable presidency. Let me also welcome permanent representatives and colleagues who have recently joined us.

I wished to engage in the discussion on the work of the Conference, and I regret that I am compelled to respond to baseless accusations against my country, which are also irrelevant to the work and mandate of this negotiating forum.

We are fully aware that the Israeli regime is not pleased with the ongoing talks between Iran and the United States, and that it is unable to conceal its dissatisfaction and frustration.

It is because this regime perceives its very existence in war and military aggression and has grown accustomed to such conduct. Israel imposed itself on the region through violence and bloodshed and, in order to sustain itself, continues to rely on mass killing and aggression.

We are also fully aware that the Israeli regime persistently seeks to incite the United States to undertake military aggression against Iran.

Following its unlawful military aggression against Iran last year, and attempts to hijack peaceful demonstrations and turning it to chaos and violence in Iran, the regime has now resorted to efforts aimed at arming terrorist elements, including ISIS terrorists, and dispatching them as its proxies to Iran with the objective of destabilizing the country. We are well aware of these actions and wish to draw the attention of the colleagues in the Conference to this matter.

The Israeli regime seeks to portray Iran as a threat in order to pursue its expansionist policies in the region and to continue its unlawful activities related to its weapons of mass destruction.

The fact that a regime that possesses nuclear weapons, is not a party to any of the treaties governing weapons of mass destruction, and has for years spared no crime in the region, now seeks to abuse this negotiating forum in an attempt to portray Iran as a threat, is indeed deeply absurd.

While Iran, throughout its several-thousand-year history, has never initiated aggression against any country, the Israeli regime has, within the span of a single year, carried out military aggression against seven countries in our region.

Categorically rejecting the accusations raised against my country, I wish to underscore that Iran’s nuclear activities have been peaceful and that uranium enrichment and the peaceful use of nuclear science and energy constitute the inalienable right of Iran as a State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Iran has no need for proxies to advance its foreign policy. People who resist occupation and struggle for their most basic rights are not terrorists. The emergence of resistance movements in the region—mischaracterized by the regime as proxies or terrorist groups—is the predictable outcome of decades of illegal occupation, systematic violence, Genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli regime, and continued foreign interference in the internal affairs of regional States.

Let me take this opportunity to clarify that the IAEA has access to the nuclear facilities in Iran that were not attacked in June 2025, and inspections of these sites are ongoing. With respect to damaged nuclear facilities, it must be emphasized that an attack on safeguarded nuclear installations is unprecedented. Access to the damaged sites involves particular complexities, including the potential presence of radioactive materials and unexploded ordnance. The IAEA Statute and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement are silent regarding inspection modalities for nuclear facilities that have been attacked. Consequently, inspections of such facilities require a mutually agreed framework between Iran and the Agency. Our discussions with the Agency continue in order to move forward and achieve such a framework.

With regard to Iran’s missile program, let me stress that these capabilities are exclusively defensive in nature. Iran has never used, and will never use its missiles to commit aggression against any country. As demonstrated during the twelve-day war of aggression against it in June 2025, Iran’s missile capabilities are designed solely for defensive purposes. Like any sovereign State, Iran has the inherent right to ensure its self-defense in accordance with international law.

I thank you.