Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has warned that any further American military strike against Iran would amount to “a blow of madness,” leading only to more violence and destruction while exacting a heavy price on West Asia.
“Any further American strike against Iran would be a blow of madness and would lead only to more violence and destruction,” ElBaradei wrote on X on Monday morning.
“I urge everyone who has influence over this reckless man to do everything in their power to dissuade him from it,” he added, in a clear reference to US President Donald Trump.
ElBaradei, who shared the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize with the IAEA for efforts to prevent the diversion of nuclear energy to military purposes, has repeatedly cautioned against US escalation.
His latest remarks come amid Trump’s continued threats of renewed aggression against the Islamic Republic, following the joint US-Israeli war of aggression in June 2025 that targeted Iran’s safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan in blatant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
That 12-day aggression, launched by the Israeli regime and later joined by the United States, assassinated senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists, killed hundreds of civilians, and struck peaceful nuclear sites under IAEA safeguards.
Iran responded decisively with retaliatory operations, imposing a halt to the assault and underscoring its inherent right to self-defense.
Trump has since repeatedly warned of attacks that would be “far worse” than the June strikes, while deploying a “massive armada” of US naval forces and additional military assets to the region under various pretexts linked to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and defensive capabilities.
Iranian officials have consistently rejected these threats as illegal and provocative, stressing that the Armed Forces remain fully prepared to deliver an immediate and powerful response to any new aggression.
ElBaradei’s warning echoes his earlier statements, drawing parallels to the lead-up to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, an illegal and immoral war built on false claims of weapons of mass destruction that resulted in massive human suffering, regional destruction, and lasting instability.
He has previously noted the absence of any clear and present danger justifying force against Iran, the lack of legal authority under international norms, and the horrific costs of “wars of choice.”
As a longtime advocate of diplomacy over military force in addressing nuclear issues, ElBaradei has underscored that threats and strikes undermine the non-proliferation regime, erode IAEA safeguards, and risk broader escalation.
His appeal highlights the recklessness of unilateral US actions that prioritize force over dialogue, at a time when the region continues to bear the consequences of prior aggressions.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear activities remain peaceful and fully within its rights as an NPT signatory, while affirming readiness to engage in genuine negotiations based on mutual respect, provided provocations and military threats cease.
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