tag

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was reconnected to the grid Saturday, nearly three days after a strike cut off its external electricity supply, the UN nuclear watchdog said.Power was restored after repairs to a back-up line, carried out while a local ceasefire was in place, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a post on X.During the loss of external power, Europe's largest atomic power plant had to rely on emergency diesel generators to maintain cooling for its reactors, the agency added.The plant's 19th loss of off-site power during the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began in February 2022, was caused by a strike late Wednesday on a substation."Lasting almost three days, it was one of the site's longest such loss of power events, underlining the extreme fragility of the electrical grid," the IAEA said.The agency previously said no release of radioactivity had been detected and radiation levels remained normal.The plant is now preparing to repair its main power line, which has been offline since March 24.Zaporizhzhia lies close to the front line in southern Ukraine, and was captured by Russian troops in the early days of their invasion.Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks near the plant. 

The US is demanding Iran provide "precise" information on its enriched uranium stockpile and give the UN nuclear agency access "without delay", according to a draft resolution seen by AFP Monday.The draft resolution is expected to be submitted for a vote this week to the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that started meeting Monday.Last week, the IAEA in a confidential report reiterated that the lack of access to nuclear sites in Iran constituted a "proliferation concern".The draft resolution affirms that it is "essential and urgent" that Iran "without delay" provides the agency with "precise information on nuclear material accountancy and safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran".Tehran must also "grant the agency all access it requires to verify this information", it adds.To be passed, the draft resolution needs to be submitted and approved by the 35-member IAEA board of governors.In a press conference after opening the board of governors' meeting, IAEA head Rafael Grossi said he had "sporadic contacts with the foreign minister (of Iran) and others, but basically the channel of communication is broken"."Of course, when you have active shelling or bombing, inspections are not possible, but there are many things that can be done. And the important thing is this dialogue," he said.The IAEA has not had access to some key nuclear facilities in Iran since Israel, joined by the US, launched a 12-day conflict in June 2025 that included strikes on nuclear sites.Nuclear facilities have also been hit in the latest war, which erupted on February 28. The IAEA has repeatedly urged access.Prior to US strikes in June 2025, the IAEA calculated that Iran possessed approximately 440 kilogrammes (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 %.This is close to the 90 % needed to make a bomb and well above the 3.67-percent limit set by a now-defunct 2015 agreement with Iran.The fate of this stockpile is uncertain.Israel and the US have long accused Iran of wanting to build a nuclear weapon.Tehran has repeatedly denied having any military ambitions, insisting on its right to the technology for civilian purposes.On Saturday, Iran denounced as a "tool of political pressure" the report by the IAEA expressing concern over its lack of access to Iranian nuclear sites. 

 Doha reiterates condemnation of the attack targeting Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in UAE; Highlights grave dangers of attack on operational nuclear facilities for the entire region Qatar has reiterated its strong condemnation of the attack targeting the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing it as a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the fundamental principles of nuclear safety and security.The position was outlined by Qatar's ambassador to Austria and permanent representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Vienna, Jassim Yaqoub al-Hammadi during an emergency session of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).The session was convened at the request of several Arab member states to discuss the implications of the attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.Ambassador al-Hammadi noted that Qatar was part of a joint statement delivered by the UAE's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. He added that Qatar also participated in another statement presented during the meeting.He expressed appreciation to the Arab members of the Board of Governors --Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco -- for requesting the emergency session and leading consultations ahead of the meeting.The ambassador reiterated Qatar's strong condemnation of the attack, which was reportedly carried out by armed factions from Iraq using drones, and reaffirmed the State's full solidarity with the government and people of the UAE.He stressed that the security of the UAE is an integral part of the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the wider region.Ambassador al-Hammadi emphasised that targeting peaceful nuclear facilities constitutes a violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the principles of nuclear safety and security enshrined in the IAEA Statute and relevant resolutions.He warned that attacks on operational nuclear facilities pose serious risks to civilians, the environment, and regional and international security, and could potentially result in radiological consequences. He commended the IAEA for its swift response in monitoring developments, assessing the impact of the attack, and supporting emergency preparedness and response efforts. He also praised IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi for his continued attention to nuclear safety and security issues.The ambassador welcomed the director-general's reaffirmation that nuclear facilities and infrastructure essential to nuclear safety must never be targeted in military operations under any circumstances. He underscored that the protection of civilian nuclear infrastructure is a well-established international principle that must be respected without exception. Safeguarding such facilities, he said, is not only a national responsibility but also a collective obligation of the international community.Concluding his remarks, Ambassador al-Hammadi stressed that dialogue, diplomacy, and adherence to international law, the principles and objectives of the United Nations Charter, and relevant international resolutions remain the only sustainable path toward achieving lasting peace and stability in the region and addressing the root causes of crises. 

 HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani met yesterday with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi. They discussed reinforcing bilateral co-operation between Qatar and the IAEA as well as the latest developments pertaining to the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear programme. In addition, the two sides addressed a wide range of topics of shared interest. 

The UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, on Sunday expressed "grave concern" over a drone strike near a United Arab Emirates nuclear plant that triggered a fire, though it said that radiation levels remained normal.The International Atomic Energy Agency on X said its head, Rafael Grossi, voiced the concern and added: "Military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable." "The IAEA has been informed by the UAE that radiation levels at the Barakah NPP (nuclear power plant) remain normal and no injuries were reported," the agency said.

Inspectors of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA visited Iranian nuclear sites last week, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday, according to state media, a week after the IAEA urged Iran to "seriously improve" co-operation.The IAEA has carried out about a dozen inspections in Iran since hostilities with Israel in June, but last week highlighted it had not been given access to nuclear facilities such as Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, which were bombed by the United States."As long as we are a member of the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), we will abide by our commitments, and just last week, IAEA inspectors visited several nuclear facilities, including the Tehran Research Reactor," Esmaeil Baghaei said, without naming the others.The International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said last week that Iran must "seriously improve" co-operation with the United Nations inspectors to avoid heightening tensions with the West.Iranian officials have blamed the IAEA for providing a justification for Israel's bombing in a 12-day war in June, which began the day after the IAEA board voted to declare Iran in violation of obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.Baghaei's comments Monday were in response to Grossi saying last week that Iran "cannot say 'I remain within the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty’, and then not comply with obligations".

Russia's Foreign Ministry has commended Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for his efforts in establishing a "calm" around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, following successful international mediation that enabled a safe environment for essential maintenance work. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow had secured security guarantees from Ukraine to restore external power to the facility, an arrangement that had previously been unattainable. Zakharova noted that Russia raised the issue with Grossi, who engaged in intensive mediation efforts. After extended consultations, those efforts resulted in what she described as a "calm regime" that allowed repair work to begin. She also referenced a September 23 incident in which the Dniprovska power station was reportedly struck by Ukrainian forces, cutting off electricity to the nuclear plant and forcing it to rely on backup diesel generators to maintain critical systems. Repair crews began work on October 18, and the restoration of the damaged power line is expected to take several days. Zakharova emphasized Grossi's pivotal role in the process and expressed hope for continued constructive cooperation to ensure the safety and security of nuclear facilities in the region.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced the start of a complex plan to restore power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine after an unprecedented outage lasting nearly four weeks. This comes amid a local ceasefire that has allowed repair work to begin. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on X platform, "Work has begun to repair damaged off-site power lines to ZNPP after a 4-week outage, following the establishment of local ceasefire zones to allow work to proceed. Restoration of off-site power is crucial for nuclear safety and security." Grossi explained that the repair work includes two cables of the 330 kilovolts (kV), which have been disconnected since May 7. Repairs are also due to begin on the damaged section of the 750 kV Dniprovska line, which was disconnected on September 23, causing the ZNPP's complete loss of off-site power. The IAEA reported that the repair work is expected to take about a week, noting that the power plant has been relying on seven emergency diesel generators for four weeks to power the cooling systems necessary to prevent the six shut-down reactors from overheating. Radioactivity levels in the area remain normal, and cooling systems are operating effectively. The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy reported that its experts are monitoring the situation on the ground, and considered the reconnection of the plant to the Ukrainian grid an essential step to ensuring stability and preventing any nuclear accident. The Russian plant's management also confirmed that the Russian Ministry of Defense is overseeing the safety of the repair teams during the plan's implementation, in coordination with the IAEA monitors deployed at the site. The ZNPP, located near the city of Enerhodar on the banks of the Dnieper River, is the largest nuclear facility in Europe and, before the war, provided about a fifth of Ukraine's electricity needs. The plant has been under Russian control since March 2022 and has since experienced 10 complete grid outages, raising repeated international concerns about the risk of a major nuclear accident.