Russia voices concern over reported strike on Iran's Darkhovin nuclear power plant

Russia on Sunday expressed concern over reports that Iran's under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant was struck overnight, calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to assess the reported incident.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow had taken note of media reports about the alleged strike, which she said raised concerns over nuclear safety at a facility under IAEA safeguards and the broader security situation surrounding Iran.

"We have indeed taken note of reports in the media. They cause serious concern both from the standpoint of the nuclear safety of this facility, which is under IAEA safeguards, and in terms of the increasingly alarming developments around Iran," Zakharova said in a statement published on the ministry's website.

She said attacks on nuclear facilities violated international law, UN Security Council resolutions and IAEA principles and deserved "the strongest condemnation."

Zakharova said Russia expects the IAEA leadership to provide an "unbiased assessment" of the reported incident.

She also said attempts to portray Iran's civilian nuclear program as a threat were being used to justify military action.

"Any attempts against this backdrop to inflate alleged threats related to Iran's peaceful nuclear program are nothing more than a cover for unacceptable plans to unleash another bloodshed in Iran," she said.

Zakharova added that the right of non-nuclear-weapon states, including Iran, to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "must not be called into question or become the target of external attacks."

Earlier in the day, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said that US strikes targeted the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant.