Well today, the United Nations reiterated its demand that Russia
withdraw its troops from the Zap Rhodesia nuclear power plant, which
is occupied since March. In recent weeks, fighting around Europe's
largest nuclear power plant has intensified and the U. S. Warns the
international community is quote living under the threat of a nuclear
catastrophe. Meanwhile, the US Europe and Iran are at a critical
moment and their negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
Nick Schifrin talks Ukraine and Iran with a man at the center of
both issues.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible for monitoring
nuclear plants and countries nuclear programs to ensure they stay
peaceful and are safely operated to discuss both the Zaporizhia nuclear
plant and ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. I'm joined
by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA's director, general.
Sir. Welcome to the news hour and separation to what are you most
worried about? And how worried are you? There are a number of things
we are worrying we are worried about. We are confronted here with
a completely unprecedented situation. You have this cohabitation
If you want of the operators, the Ukrainian operators with the Russians
force. There have been allegations of
confrontations, arguments or
Even the violence. The shelling, which has been taken place intermittently.
This combination of factors is an absolute unthinkable situation
for any normal nuclear power plant. You said about a week ago that
one reactor unit have been disconnected from the electrical grid,
triggering generators in an emergency protection system. Is that
system holding well, the system in general is holding there is one
external line.
Ah of power, which is active and then 11 local one. And then there
are some, of course, emergency diesel generators, but you don't want
to get to that stage. Of course, I would say for the moment the situation
is holding, but at I would say
Um, quite close to to an alert zone, which should be
avoided at all costs. When it comes to the physical security of the
plant. There have been explosions. As you mentioned
it. Hit a dry fuel storage facility. Damage the plants. External
power system. How serious have the explosions inside the plant been?
They have not affected the reactors themselves and even the spent
fuel ponds. There have been
some impacts nearby.
But I would not want to penalize this. Any explosion externally caused
genetically motivated on a nuclear power plant again. It's like crossing
the the reddest of the lines that you can imagine when it comes to
access to the site. Ukraine says that it has approved your visit
your personal visit. You said. You want to go with your team. French
President Menem across, said this week that Russian President Vladimir
Putin did agree.
Re to the I e. A visiting. Has there been any progress in that? Is
there any sign that Russia is, in fact going to let you in? Speak?
I'm working on this. I'm having very intensive consultations with
Kiev, of course, and also with Russia in order to work on the practical
details has the Russian side in fact, told you that? Yes, they are
willing to let you come.
We are. We are very close to that. And they were the reason and reluctant
as you can see to say yes, definitely, Yes is because we are in the
consultations. We are seeing the stars aligning for the first time
agreeing on the principal and the need for the visit to proceed and
we are working now on the logistics and the details and this, I hope
That is going to happen in a matter of days, not weeks, but days.
Let's turn to the negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal as a reminder
in 2015, Iran and world powers signed a deal that restricted Iran's
nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief 2018. The Trump
administration withdrew and place new sanctions on Iran. Since 2019
Iran has broken through the nuclear deal's restrictions, including
on manufacturing enrichment levels and nuclear fuel stockpiles.
For the last year and a half. Iran and world powers have been negotiating
once again return to the deal where Iran would restrict its program
and the U. S. Would provide sanctions relief and they could be on
the cusp of a new agreement. The IAEA is not a signatory to any of
these deals, nor are you part of these negotiations. And yet you're
nearly four year old investigation into nuclear material found undeclared
sites in Iran remains a sticking points. Let's start.
With the basic question Has Iran provided sufficient answers to explain
the presence of that nuclear material? Not yet, but I'm hopeful they
will.
They know that they have to do it. We have agreed
On a on a mechanism for this when the IAEA finds traces.
Of nuclear material at a place where which had not been declared.
As a place where nuclear activity was taking place. My legal obligation
is to ask the question. We need to have the adequate explanation
as to whether there was an activity there. What kind of an activity
was it? What kind of material we had You believe you need that adequate
explanation of this nuclear material before?
The U. S. Europe and Iran sign any kind of political agreement today,
but it's a political question that needs to be put to them. Not to
me. What we need is the cooperation from Iran, and we also need the
maximum levels of access and inspection. The more limitations we
have the less credibility or the less assurances
We can provide
The international community about the status of the nuclear material
in Iran. Iran is demanding that the investigation be closed before
degrees to return. Any kind of nuclear deal has the U. S or Europe.
But pressure on you at all to close the investigation. States has
not put any pressure or me there could be implicit pressure or explicit
pressure from one side or the other.
Pressures in this nuclear matters will always exist. They are part
of the landscape, unfortunately, But if we keep our course if the
E a keeps doing and it's allowed
To do its inspection work. We are going to get there. I'm pretty
confident Separately. The original nuclear deal requires Iran to
allow more than two dozen cameras to film centrifuge production,
uranium mines, storage facilities and other items. In June, Iran
dismantled those cameras and back in June, You said that the window
to restore quote a continuity of knowledge was only 3 to 4 weeks.
That was back in June. So there's that mean you've already lost the
ability to
No if Iran was building more centrifuges.
Well, that that was a serious move. I I do not. I will not rewrite
or re say what I said these 27 cameras that were disconnected, where
covering important areas of growth, century future production facilities
and other things, And we lost that continuity of knowledge. And if
and when
The agreement is revived and we can reconnect the cameras will have
to sit down without Iranian colleagues and and see how we can
fill in the gaps.
If you want between that time and the present time, I guess the bottom
line, sir. Do you believe that the IAEA will be able to detect Iranian
nuclear activity in the amount of time the world has said through
these nuclear deals it needs in order to react. I think if we have
then the correct unnecessary access the IAEA the inspectors of the
IAEA will always be in a position.
To detect in a timely manner. Any deviation of nuclear material in
Iran or elsewhere. Rafael Mariano Grossi, executive director of the
I e a Thank you very much