Nuclear сatastrophe risk at highest since cold war, IAEA chief warns
Photo: Rafael Grossi (Getty Images)
The risk of a nuclear catastrophe has risen to a level not seen since the Cold War. At the same time, mechanisms for ensuring peace and security are under pressure, says IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
Grossi makes these remarks during the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, currently taking place in New York.
The IAEA Director General emphasizes that the risk of a nuclear catastrophe has risen to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War.
"War has returned to Europe and the Middle East, and the multilateral frameworks underpinning peace and security are under immense strain. In today’s nuclear domain, we face a precarious standoff, with more actors, more risks, and less clarity," he says.
Grossi adds that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been in force for over five decades and has the widest range of participants (191) of any treaty in this field. It brings together nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear-weapon states.
"At the heart of this effort is the IAEA's safeguards regime, ensuring that nuclear material is not diverted from peaceful to military use through a firm, fair and impartial verification system," he notes.
The IAEA Director General emphasizes that preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons is in our common interest, and that the NPT is the most powerful multilateral instrument.
On April 26, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant experienced another blackout. Energoatom noted that this was the 15th blackout at the Zaporizhzhia NPP since its occupation.
Additionally, on the morning of April 27, a Russian drone struck a transport workshop near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant site. The driver was killed in the attack.
