IAEA Director Grossi Warns That Supervisory Power Over Iran's Nuclear Program Has Been Weakened

In addition to Grossi, US Energy Minister Chris Wright and Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom General Manager Aleksey Likhachev made speeches at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which continues in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

Grossi stated that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) continues to be the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and said, "A world with more nuclear weapons and more countries with nuclear weapons is not a safer world." he said.

Stating that the agency's inspection of Iran's nuclear program has worsened in 2026, Grossi said, "We had to withdraw our inspectors and, except for an inspection at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in June, we have not carried out any verification activities on the field in Iran for more than 6 months." he said.

Grossi has repeated for more than a year that continuity of information regarding the uranium inventory enriched up to 60 percent has not been ensured.

Stating that the agency's lack of information about nuclear material and its inability to access facilities for verification caused serious nuclear proliferation concerns, Grossi called for a return to diplomacy and negotiations.

Reminding that the outstanding assurance audit issues regarding Syria's nuclear activities from the deposed Assad regime period have been resolved, Grossi said that this progress was achieved thanks to Syria's transparency and cooperation.

ROSATOM ASKED IAEA TO EXPLAIN THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR ATTACKS ON NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Rosatom General Manager Aleksey Lihachev stated that nuclear facilities around the world are attacked almost every day and that the security of these facilities should be an absolute priority regardless of their location.

Arguing that the Ukrainian army carries out regular attacks on Russian nuclear power plants, Lihachev noted that attacks on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant and the region where the plant is located have increased in recent months.

Likhachev stated that an attack was carried out last Friday on tankers carrying diesel fuel necessary to ensure the nuclear safety of the power plant.

Stating that the IAEA should not be satisfied with just recording the attacks, Lihachev said, "In this dramatic situation, I believe that the Agency should not be content with just recording these attacks. Instead, it should clearly state who is responsible for committing these crimes." he said.