Iran Tells UN Security Council U.S. Struck Unfinished Nuclear Plant in Khuzestan

Iran's UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, sent a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council demanding they condemn a U.S. missile strike on the Darkhovin nuclear power plant, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency. The letter says the strike hit at approximately 3:39 a.m. local time on Sunday, with U.S. forces firing multiple missiles at the site in Khuzestan province, also called Karun.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization called it "an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law" in a statement carried by state television, according to Foreign Policy Journal. Tehran's deputy foreign minister said the plant, still under construction, represents Iran's "peaceful infrastructure" and vowed "appropriate action," per reporting cited by Ground News.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Sunday it is investigating the reported strike. Foreign Policy Journal reported the IAEA said the Darkhovin site contained no nuclear material when it was last inspected. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the incident isn't believed to pose a radiological risk, but repeated his standing call for military restraint around all nuclear-related sites, whether under construction or operational.

A plant with no nuclear material on-site is not the same danger as a strike on an active reactor or a facility holding enriched uranium stock. Iran's own ambassador didn't claim a radiological release occurred. He argued the strike itself was illegal because the site falls under IAEA safeguards, regardless of what was or wasn't there when the missiles hit.

Iravani's letter puts this strike in a longer sequence. He told the Security Council it was the 18th wave of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and facilities under IAEA safeguards since what he called "joint U.S.-Israeli aggression" beginning in June 2025. He said Washington acted "due to the inaction and double standards of the Security Council," and asked the Council to declare the strikes a violation of international law, the UN Charter, and IAEA General Conference resolutions, and to hold the U.S. "fully accountable."

No resolution, no formal Council condemnation, and no vote have been reported. Iran made its case to the Security Council, but the UN has not rendered a verdict.

The strike didn't happen in isolation. Foreign Policy Journal reported the U.S. hit came after two American service members died in an attack in Jordan on Friday, and U.S. Central Command said it carried out fresh strikes under President Trump's direction against Iranian coastal surveillance networks, air defense systems, maritime assets, and missile and drone storage.

Iran responded with drone attacks on U.S. positions in Kuwait, targeting an ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base, according to Foreign Policy Journal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over Ahvaz. Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported additional U.S. strikes on Qeshm Island. Ground News also cited reporting of strikes in Bushehr province, home to Iran's operating civilian nuclear plant, describing it as the ninth straight night of U.S. operations against Iranian military sites.

The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control and warned that no oil, gas, or fertilizer shipments would pass without its permission, a threat with obvious relevance to global energy markets. OilPrice.com reported crude prices climbing sharply, with WTI up over 2.5% and Brent up more than 2.6% in recent trading, and separately noted a Kuwaiti tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices above $90 a barrel.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, warned of "unforgettable lessons" if U.S. attacks continue and dismissed President Trump's position as "utterly worthless," according to Foreign Policy Journal. Tehran continues to insist its nuclear program is peaceful and limited to civilian enrichment rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. and Israel have long argued Iran's program has weapons ambitions, a dispute that predates this entire exchange by decades and remains unresolved.

Independent, on-the-ground confirmation of the strike's precise scope or damage beyond Iran's own statements and the IAEA's preliminary comments has not been reported. Grossi's assessment that there's no radiological risk is the only independent technical judgment available, and even that comes with an explicit caveat: it's based on the facility having no nuclear material at last inspection, not a completed post-strike survey.

One track ahead is the Security Council, where Iran wants a formal condemnation and there's no indication yet that a resolution or vote is forthcoming. The other is the IAEA's own investigation into the strike, which Grossi's agency said Sunday it had opened but has not yet published findings from. Until the IAEA issues something concrete, the extent of physical damage at Darkhovin and any secondary safety questions remain open.