Latest news with #nuclearSafety
NHK
05-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
IAEA says its inspectors have left Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a social media post on Friday that a team of its inspectors has departed from Iran to return to its headquarters in Vienna. No reason was given for their departure. Iran has claimed that IAEA activities served as an excuse for Israel and the United States to attack its nuclear facilities. Earlier in the week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced the suspension of Tehran's cooperation with the IAEA. The Wall Street Journal on Friday quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that the UN atomic agency was pulling its inspectors out of Iran over safety concerns. The newspaper said their departure means that the possibility of significant international access to Iran's nuclear sites is extremely unlikely, and would allow Tehran to carry out nuclear activities unchecked. The IAEA said in May that Iran has more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent. But the whereabouts of the uranium after US attacks on its nuclear facilities is not known. The IAEA stressed the importance of discussing with Iran the resumption of its monitoring and verification activities as soon as possible.
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Supporting the National Implementation of the Nuclear Legal Framework in Algeria
The IAEA, in cooperation with Algeria's National Nuclear Safety and Security Authority (Autorité Nationale de Sûreté et de Sécurité Nucléaires – ANSSN), hosted the first national workshop on nuclear law in Algiers since the country enacted its new comprehensive national nuclear law in 2019. The three-day workshop, held from 15 to 17 June, gathered more than 100 participants from various stakeholders. It offered a forum to discuss and foster awareness and understanding of the international nuclear legal instruments related to safety, security, safeguards, and civil liability for nuclear damage as well as the elements of a comprehensive national nuclear legal framework. The event also focused on the regulatory functions exercised by the regulatory body and the principle of the prime responsibility of the authorised person, triggering rich exchanges among the participants on the practical implementation of the country's national nuclear legal framework. Opening the workshop, ANSSN President Rachedi Menadi said: 'This workshop aims to raise the awareness of the best international practices and their implementation at the national level through the national nuclear legal framework.' He further underlined that while 'an adequate legislative framework is necessary to protect the people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation, it is only the first step. Effective implementation of the legal framework requires active contribution and involvement of all the stakeholders.' The legislative assistance mission was held as part of the framework of the IAEA Legislative Assistance Programme and organized through an inter-regional project of the IAEA technical cooperation programme. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Britain, France and Germany condemn 'threats' against head of IAEA watchdog
DUBAI (Reuters) -Britain, France and Germany condemned on Monday what they described as threats against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watchdog, and called on Iran to guarantee the safety of IAEA staff on its territory. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a joint statement issued by the foreign affairs ministries of those three countries. "We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added. Their joint statement did not specify what threats had been made against Grossi. On Monday, Iran said it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were hit by Israeli and U.S. strikes in the 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire last week. "How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference. The IAEA's board voted earlier this month to declare that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iranian officials have suggested that vote helped pave the way for Israel's attacks. Baghaei said a parliamentary bill approved by the Guardian Council makes it mandatory for the government to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. "Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," Baghaei said.
LBCI
21-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Gulf Ambassadors voice concern over safety of nuclear facilities near their countries
Qatar's state news agency reported on Saturday that ambassadors of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states voiced concern to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi over the safety of nuclear facilities near their countries, amid the ongoing crisis between Israel and Iran. During a meeting in Vienna, the ambassadors warned Grossi of the 'serious consequences' of targeting nuclear sites, stressing that any direct attack would constitute 'a direct threat to radiological safety.' The warning follows a statement by the Israeli military on Thursday claiming it had struck Iran's Russian-built Bushehr nuclear facility. The statement was later retracted and described as a mistake. Bushehr, located on the Gulf coast, is Iran's only operational nuclear power plant. The potential consequences of an attack on the facility—particularly air and water contamination—have long been a source of concern among Gulf states. Reuters
Arab News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UN's Guterres urges ‘give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict
Guterres said there were 'moments when the directions taken will shape not just the fate of nations, but potentially our collective future'Rafael Grossi, IAEA's head, outlined Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and ArakNEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could 'ignite a fire no one can control' and called on both sides and potential parties to the conflict to 'give peace a chance.'The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, speaking at the same United Nations Security Council session, warned that attacks on nuclear facilities could result in the release of radiation 'within and beyond boundaries' of Iran, and called for maximum said there were 'moments when the directions taken will shape not just the fate of nations, but potentially our collective future.''This is such a moment,' he said expansion of the conflict would 'ignite a fire that no one can control' and added: 'We must not let that happen.''To the parties to the conflict, the potential parties to the conflict, and to the Security Council as the representative of the international community, I have a simple and clear message: give peace a chance,' Guterres Security Council session took place as European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday hoping to test Tehran's readiness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks has repeatedly bombed nuclear targets in Iran and Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either White House said on Thursday US President Donald Trump would make a decision within the next two weeks whether to get involved on Israel's side. Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear program while under attack by UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said his country sought genuine efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities from Friday's meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks'We have seen diplomatic talks for the last few decades, and look at the results,' he told reporters.'If it is going to be like another session and debates, that's not going to work.'Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, outlined Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and said the level of radioactivity outside Iran's Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment he said that within the facility there was both radiological and chemical contamination. He said the IAEA was not aware of any damage at Iran's Fordow plant at this attack on Iran's Bushehr plant would be most serious, he said: 'It is an operating nuclear power plant and hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material.''I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In the case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,' Grossi said.'Similarly, a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor's core to melt.'He said any action against the Tehran nuclear research reactor will also have severe consequences, 'potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants.'The US ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Camille Shea, said the United States 'continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions.''We can no longer ignore that Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,' she and Russia demanded immediate UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said Israel's actions risked pulling third countries into the conflict and internationalization of the conflict must be said targeting of what he called Iran's peaceful civilian nuclear facilities was 'liable to plunge us into a hither to unseen nuclear catastrophe.'Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this.
