Key points
- IAEA head warns Israeli-Iran conflict “threatens lives”
- Urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint
- G7 leaders call for “de-escalation” in the Middle East
ISLAMABAD: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has warned that escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, pose grave dangers to diplomacy and nuclear safety and has urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint.
Speaking at an emergency session of the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors on Monday in Vienna, Director General Grossi has stressed that the region is at a critical juncture.
We are witnessing a dramatic conflict between two countries in which nuclear installations are coming under fire and nuclear safety is being compromised.
– @IAEAorg chief @RafaelMGrossi warns about dangers of military escalation between Israel & Iran.https://t.co/4gEsQofhef pic.twitter.com/ZMUEgMB8Kd
— United Nations (@UN) June 16, 2025
“Military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment, and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon,” Al Jazeera cited Grossi as saying.
Nuclear sites damaged
Grossi also delivered a technical update on the status of Iranian nuclear facilities after Israeli bombardments. Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant, was among the sites hit on Friday, according to Al Jazeera. While its underground section was spared a direct strike, Grossi warned that vital equipment may have been damaged due to a power outage triggered by the attack.
He noted that radiation levels outside the facility remained normal and, critically, there was no evidence of contamination spreading beyond the site.
“The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event,” he said.
“De-escalation”
Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated since Friday, with more than 224 Iranians killed and over 1000 injured, most of them civilians, Iranian media claimed. Israel claims 24 people have been killed, mostly civilians.
G7 leaders on Monday called for “de-escalation” in the Middle East, starting with the Israel-Iran conflict, as US President Donald Trump hastily left the group’s summit.
