IAEA's Grossi sounds alarm on rising nuclear weapon discussions

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has raised concerns over the increasing normalization of discussions surrounding nuclear weapons and their acquisition by various countries.

Grossi said that some countries are normalizing talk of nuclear weapons and acquiring them emphasising that the IAEA needs to prevent this, Caliber.Az reports via UN News.

“Imagine our world with all this tension, where fifteen, eighteen, twenty countries have nuclear weapons. Most likely, in such a case, nuclear weapons will be used,” Grossi stated.

This statement comes in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's presentation of a draft for the country's new nuclear doctrine on September 25, which elicited strong reactions from global leaders attending the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commented on the matter during an interview with US media from New York, noting, “There are many problems in the world, but I must say that I am not surprised that there is talk of a nuclear catastrophe, especially in light of President Putin's statement. Moscow's willingness to respond with nuclear weapons in the event of aggression — regardless of whether the enemy uses conventional weapons — has caused a huge resonance.”

By Tamilla Hasanova