The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has warned that escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, now in a fourth day, pose grave dangers to diplomacy and nuclear safety and has urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors on Monday in Vienna, Director General Grossi stressed that the region is at a critical juncture.
“Military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment, and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Grossi said.
The IAEA chief’s remarks came amid growing concern that the conflict could permanently damage efforts to revive nuclear talks with Tehran, already strained by years of mistrust and United States President Donald Trump’s torpedoing of the 2015 nuclear accord brokered by world powers with Iran.
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The current Israeli-Iranian standoff puts Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant (NPP) at serious risk, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.
ReplyDelete"Naturally, the situation is extremely dangerous. So far, no serious damage has been done - according to our sources and information obtained from the International Atomic Energy Agency - but this is just a happy coincidence. The risks remain far too high," he said.
He emphasized that "the military standoff needs to stop in order to stabilize the situation."
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog says there’s a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination within Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz after Israeli air strikes.
ReplyDeleteRafael Grossi said the main concern is the chemical toxicity of a gas called uranium hexafluoride, which is the result of fluorine mixed with the uranium during enrichment. It is volatile, will quickly corrode, can burn the skin and is especially deadly if inhaled.
Moscou appelle Israël à faire preuve de retenue et de bon sens dans son conflit avec Téhéran
ReplyDeleteAutres déclarations du vice-chef de la diplomatie russe Serguei Riabkov sur ce sujet:
La Russie discute du problème iranien avec des représentants US. Des contacts ont eu lieu ces derniers jours sur des plateformes internationales spécialisées.
Le conflit israélo-iranien ne peut être réglé que par la voie politique et diplomatique.
Israël ne parviendra pas à détruire l’infrastructure nucléaire iranienne par ses frappes.
Il est important de renoncer à l’escalade et revenir à la table des négociations.