Iran Claims to Have Complained to the IAEA About 'Israeli Threats'

Ismail Baqaei, spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, stated that Iran has written a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) complaining about 'Israeli threats' against its nuclear facilities. Israel has announced that it will carry out attacks against the Islamic Republic in response to Iran's missile attack on October 1, and there is widespread speculation that Iran's nuclear facilities may be among Israel's targets. On Tuesday, October 22, Baqaei said in his weekly press conference: 'The threat to attack nuclear facilities is contrary to UN resolutions... and is condemned... We have sent a letter to the IAEA in this regard.' He reiterated the positions of other Tehran officials, claiming that any action by Israel against the Islamic Republic would face 'a decisive and firm response from Iran.' Over the three weeks since the second round of Iranian missile attacks on Israel, Israel has repeatedly emphasized accountability and, despite U.S. President Joe Biden's request, has not removed Iran's nuclear facilities from its list of potential retaliatory targets. Biden had previously advised Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear and oil facilities in retaliation for the recent extensive missile attack by the Islamic Republic. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson referred to the deployment of the U.S. 'THAAD' missile defense system in Israel as another act of U.S. support for Israel, claiming that Tehran has made its decision regardless of this action. Baqaei also refrained from directly commenting on the leak of U.S. intelligence documents regarding Israel's plans to attack Iran, merely stating that Tehran is prepared to defend itself relying on its military capabilities and using 'all available information and news.' Earlier, CNN and Axios reported on a U.S. 'investigation' into the leak of Pentagon documents related to Israel's military readiness in response to the recent Iranian missile attack on Israel. The leaked documents describe exercises that appear to be preparations by Israel for an attack on Iran. One document states that these plans include the movement of munitions by Israel. Another document refers to Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles, which are said to be conducted in preparation for an attack on Iran. Yet another document mentions Israel's possession of nuclear weapons, a subject Israel has always refrained from publicly confirming. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized that despite some Iranian officials hinting at a change in nuclear doctrine, 'the production and use of weapons of mass destruction' has no place in Iran's defensive doctrine. Previously, Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and senior advisor to Ali Khamenei, threatened in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic that 'we have the capacity to produce a bomb' and that if Iran's 'existence is threatened,' 'we will have to change our nuclear doctrine.' Some other political and military officials of the Islamic Republic have made similar statements, which have been interpreted as a sign of Tehran's determination to build a nuclear weapon. Ismail Baqaei also indirectly referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for mediation between Iran and Israel, stating that mediation between two parties that fundamentally have no relationship is 'meaningless.' In this context, the European Union has urged Iran to abandon its threat to change its 'nuclear doctrine.'