Vienna (TDI): Ambassador Kamran Akhtar, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations led the Pakistani delegation to the crucial session of International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors.
The session was convened by the Director General of IAEA, yesterday, after US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, carried out in the early morning hours of Sunday.
Pakistan’s Ambassador called for immediate cessation of hostilities and recourse to dialogue and diplomacy, in line with UN Charter.
He further said, “…in order to uphold the role of the Agency as well as the integrity and credibility of the IAEA safeguards and UN system, it was imperative to prevent states from taking unilateral actions to deal with compliance issues through use of force”
The Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Ambassador Kamran Akhtar, led the Pakistan delegation to the extraordinary session of IAEA’s Board of Governors held on 23 June 2025 (1/5) pic.twitter.com/Da9pxblJ1e
— Pakistan Embassy Austria (@PakinAustria) June 23, 2025
Ambassador Akhtar added that it was the responsibility of the Board to deal strictly with unilateral actions that further undermine international order. He “highlighted Pakistan’s principled position on inadmissibility of attacks or threats of attack against nuclear facilities.”
He also stressed that all states must refrain from actions that downplay the significance of multilateral mechanism.
IAEA’s Director General in the opening of session stated, “We are meeting today in the midst of a serious conflict, involving three IAEA Member States, during which Iran’s nuclear sites are coming under attack. The weight of this conflict risks collapsing the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.”
Read More: Iran Moves to Cut IAEA Ties as Nuclear Sites Came Under Attack
“But there is still a path for diplomacy. We must take it, otherwise violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels and the global non-proliferation regime that has underpinned international security for more than half a century could crumble and fall,” he added.
Since then, a ceasefire has been announced by US President Donald Trump. But the ceasefire seems to evade agreement from both Iran and Israel, as reports are still surfacing from both sides claiming a ceasefire breach.
Established in 1957, IAEA is the world’s central intergovernmental forum that is focused on scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. It plays a crucial role in international peace and security by implementing safeguards that keep a check that nuclear materials aren’t used for making weapons of mass destruction.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
