IAEA’s Grossi: Situation at Zaporizhzhia ‘not sustainable’

There have been tentative signs of progress toward salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, as the UN's atomic energy watchdog reports that Iran has agreed to discuss "outstanding issues."

North Korea appears to have restarted activities at its main plutonium-producing reactor in Yongbyon, the UN atomic agency, IAEA, has said in an annual report. The apparent resumption of operations comes as Pyongyang has been voicing threats to expand its nuclear arsenal amid continued tensions with the United States.

The latest round of talks over international monitoring of Iran's nuclear program did not lead to any breakthroughs, said the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said a preliminary agreement remains "possible" as international negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme have just resumed in Vienna in an attempt to salvage the 2015 agreement. But there is "little time left" according to Grossi, and Tehran must guarantee more transparency to the IAEA, in Iran's own interest.

Grossi said he has had constructive talks with the warring sides, who both agree that “something needs to be done” to safeguard the safety of the plants, but that the IAEA is still working on an agreement to ensure that the risk “of a nuclear accident is completely excluded”.

Among the dangers posed by the war in Ukraine is the risk of a nuclear catastrophe at Europe's largest nuclear plant, which is now under Russian control — in a war zone. The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, spoke to DW about his concerns over the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Moscow will not give Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back to Ukraine despite the G7 demand, Russian officials have said. Kyiv urged the UN and the Red Cross to visit Russian POW camps. Follow DW for the latest.

Ukraine's state nuclear company says it believes Russia will carry out a major "provocation" at the Zaporizhzhia plant. The UN chief has visited Ukraine's port of Odesa.

With the war in Ukraine now in its seventh month, the international community remains highly concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine. An uptick in fighting in recent weeks near the Russian-occupied facility, Europe's largest, has led to fears of a nuclear accident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to send a mission to inspect the plant, but has yet to gain access to it. In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the IAEA, expressed hope that the visit would take place within "days".

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said a team of experts led by him is "now on its way" to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, Russia is preparing for a large-scale military exercise.

How to avoid the unthinkable when Europe’s largest nuclear power plant finds itself on the frontline of war? As UN inspectors prepare to visit Zaporizhzhia in the hopes of securing a facility hit by power outages and alleged attacks, we ask about accusations of Russian shelling from the compound, the risk of a Chernobyl-style meltdown and the toll it’s already taken on a complex that's now under Russian control but still operated by under-pressure Ukrainian staff.

How to avoid the unthinkable when Europe’s largest nuclear power plant finds itself on the frontline of war? As UN inspectors prepare to visit Zaporizhzhia in the hopes of securing a facility hit by power outages and alleged attacks, we ask about accusations of Russian shelling from the compound, the risk of a Chernobyl-style meltdown and the toll it’s already taken on a complex that's now under Russian control but still operated by under-pressure Ukrainian staff.