Restoring IAEA Inspections in Iran Would Create “Promising Ground” for Wider Progress, Says Director General Grossi

Mr Grossi thanked Member States, IAEA staff and others for supporting the Agency’s nuclear safety and security work in Ukraine and spoke of the ongoing precariousness of the situation.?

“Three years ago, the IAEA took a historic step when we decided, in the midst of a war that risked the safety of many nuclear power plants, that the correct thing to do was to act and not just talk.”?

The IAEA has since deployed 217 missions involving 176 staff, ensuring a presence at all nuclear power stations, including the Chornobyl site, and has provided the international community with updates on the situation in Ukraine.??

The Agency continues to prioritize equipment delivery to support nuclear safety and security in Ukraine through contributions by 30 donor states and the EU with the delivery of 150 shipments, including of nuclear safety gear, medical supplies, and isotopic-technique equipment.?

The safety situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the Chornobyl sites remain precarious, he noted.??

At Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant for example, only one off-site power line remains, posing serious safety risk, and a long-term solution still needs to be found regarding the level of water in the cooling pond. Ongoing military activity, including attacks very close to the ZNPP site, are deeply concerning, adding stress and risk.?

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome at the beginning of July, the Director General signed an agreement with Ukraine to support identifying, designing, implementing, and testing the necessary repair activities on the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement.?

To avoid further degradation at the site over the winter months, temporary repairs are planned for autumn, pending approval and funding.?

The IAEA is continuing efforts in Syria to clarify, resolve and close outstanding safeguards issues related to past nuclear activities.?

Mr Grossi said the Agency was preparing to visit Dair Alzour in the weeks ahead to conduct further analysis, access relevant documentation and to talk to those involved. Once this process is complete and the results from environmental sampling have been evaluated, the IAEA hopes that unresolved safeguards issues related to Syria’s past nuclear activities can be brought to a close.?

“We?are?hoping?to?be?able?to?come?to?a?good?outcome?in?the?next?few?months?on?this,” Mr Grossi told the Board.?

The IAEA Rays of Hope initiative is expanding access to affordable cancer care where it is needed most; supporting countries in providing life-saving radiotherapy and building the capacities of radiation medicine professionals. Mr Grossi told the board that a recent Rays of Hope Forum in Addis Ababa had enabled the IAEA to take stock of the progress of the initiative.?

“This initiative has had an enormous impact. Facilities exist where there were none, equipment has been delivered where before it did not exist.? And so, this is really…saving…the lives of many people, especially in in Africa and in other developing countries,” said Mr Grossi.?

The Director General also drew the Board’s attention to the IAEA’s Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative, which began during what he described as “the silent days of the lockdowns” at the IAEA during the COVID-19 pandemic.??

“Today,?2 400 institutions?are?working?through ZODIAC.?Isn't?that?amazing?” he said.??

Read more on how the ZODIAC initiative is helping prevent pandemics.?

In June the IAEA formalized a partnership with the World Bank Group, to collaborate on nuclear power for development.??

“The?groundbreaking?agreement?that?I?signed?with?the?president?of?the?World?Bank,?in?Paris?earlier?this?summer,?is?already?bearing?fruit,?and?we?see?many?other?development?banks now?coming?to?us,” said Mr Grossi.??

“Now?they?want?to?also?open?the?doors of?international?finance?to?nuclear projects, which is so important.”??

Turning to the increased global interest in small modular reactors (SMRs), Mr Grossi explained how the IAEA is supporting countries in adopting this new technology with its SMR platform, referring to SMR schools in Kenya, in Thailand,? and an upcoming school in Argentina.?

“We?need?to?make?sure?that?the?possibility?to?export,?produce?and?also?host?these?small modular?reactors?is?a?possibility?for?all,” he said.?

A fraction of the size of large reactors, SMRs are expected to have lower upfront costs and greater flexibility to work in tandem with renewables such as solar and wind, making nuclear power a more accessible option for many countries around the world, and for technology companies looking to power their growing number of data centres.

The IAEA is continuing its work with the G20 on the role of nuclear energy in advancing energy security and sustainable development, the Director General said. Under the South African Presidency, the IAEA has launched an Outlook on Nuclear Energy in Africa, recognizing that nearly half of the countries embarking on nuclear programmes are on the continent.?

Looking ahead to the 30th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Belem, Brazil next month,?Mr Grossi said: “The IAEA will once again be present, ensuring that nuclear energy remains central in global discussions on climate solutions.”?

The IAEA will also organize the 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference and World Fusion Energy Group meeting in October, in Chengdu, China, hosted by the China Atomic Energy Authority. The IAEA fosters international collaboration to help close the existing gaps in physics, technology and regulation and move forward in development and deployment of fusion energy.

The IAEA will hold the first International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Energy on 3-4 December 2025 in Vienna, focusing on assessing and strengthening synergies between nuclear power and AI, from powering data centres to enhancing and accelerating nuclear innovation.?