IAEA: Nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia NPP remains under threat

The situation regarding nuclear safety at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) remains unstable due to the vulnerability of its external power supply and ongoing hostilities, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned.

Speaking before the IAEA Board of Governors, Director General Rafael Grossi highlighted that six out of seven pillars ensuring the plant’s nuclear safety are fully or partially compromised, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He emphasised that the external power supply to the ZNPP remains highly fragile, raising serious concerns about the facility’s security amid the conflict.

Grossi also announced his intention to visit the Zaporizhzhia plant again to assess the situation on the ground.

In a separate statement ahead of the board meeting, Grossi addressed issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. He criticised Tehran for repeatedly either ignoring the agency’s inquiries about its nuclear activities or providing technically flawed responses.

Following a thorough analysis of available information, the IAEA concluded that three sites—located in the towns of Turkuzabad, Varamin, and Marivan—along with other facilities, were part of an undeclared, structured nuclear programme that Iran completed in the early 2000s.

This programme involved the use of undeclared nuclear materials.

However, Grossi was clear that the IAEA’s role is technical verification rather than assigning motives or accusations.

He stated that he could not say, emphasising that the IAEA does not make accusations but only verifies information and reports.

He reiterated that if Iran does not fully cooperate with the agency, it will not be possible to guarantee the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear activities.

Grossi added that from this point forward, it was a matter of viewpoints and that different countries might express their own.

The latest IAEA report highlighted a lack of progress in determining the reasons behind the presence of undeclared nuclear materials found in recent years at several Iranian sites, underscoring ongoing challenges in monitoring the country’s nuclear programme.

By Aghakazim Guliyev