An ambassador from the International Atomic Energy Agency advocated in a statement last week for a Middle East free of “weapons of mass destruction” and for more safeguards there.
“We remain committed to working with the regional states to advance this goal in an inclusive, consensus-based manner that takes into account the legitimate regional security concerns of all,” Laura Holgate, ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and U.S. ambassador to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, said in her statement. “We regret that, as the Director General’s report highlights, there remains a difference of views in the region on how to advance these important arms control and regional security goals.”
Holgate was referring to IAEA director general Rafael Grossi’s report, “Application of IAEA Safeguards in the Middle East,” a resolution adopted at the 67th IAEA general conference in September 2023 that called upon states in the Middle East to implement safeguards and agreements, or an “Additional Protocol,” with aims to spread nonproliferation internationally.
Holgate referenced what she called “barriers” to a Middle Eastern region free of weapons of mass destruction, particularly potential noncompliance from Syria and Iran regarding transparency about locations of nuclear materials.
Grossi said in a recent statement that he believed the new president of Iran, Masoud Pereshkian, as well as his government, presented “very constructive” correspondence and was “open to an engagement” with IAEA.
Iran has continued enriching uranium at 60% purity, close to the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon and well past the 3.67% barrier in the 2015 joint comprehensive plan of action, a nuclear deal involving Iran, the U.S., and other world powers that President Donald Trump (R) pulled out of in 2018.
“Given the region’s expanding interest in nuclear energy, the Additional Protocol is an essential measure in demonstrating a commitment to the strongest nonproliferation standards and to providing the international community with important assurances regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities,” Holgate said.
