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STORY: UN / IAEA FRANCE
TRT: 04:03
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28 APRIL 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, United Nations headquarters
28 APRIL 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot and IAEA’s Rafael Grossi at the stakeout area
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“And as you know, this is a moment of enormous importance. This is a moment where a number of processes are ongoing. In particular, there is a very important effort between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. I'm in constant contact with Ambassador Witkoff, of course, at the same time consulting with Foreign Minister Araghchi in order to provide the technical support and capabilities and monitoring potential that the IAEA should be able to exercise.”
4. Wide shot, Jean-Noël Barrot and Rafael Grossi at the stakeout area
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Foreign Affairs, France:
“So, what serves the interests of Europe is for Iran never to have a bomb, and that's why we support and we encourage the ongoing discussions between the US and Iran. We are coordinating closely with Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, because as you know, we're getting closer and closer every week to the expiration of the JCPOA, and so Europeans that remained within the framework of the JCPOA, we will have an important decision to make by the summer, the decision to reapply the sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago. And this, of course, will depend on the commitments that Iran is willing to make. What we are sensing is willingness, on both parts, to reach an agreement that would lead to a concrete, tangible and verifiable rollback of Iran's nuclear program.”
6. Wide shot, Jean-Noël Barrot and Rafael Grossi at the stakeout area
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“The IAEA has been playing a very active role since 2022 where I personally set up a permanent presence of IAEA experts, and we are trying there to avoid a nuclear accident that would add to the tragedy of the war that we are seeing. I must say that until there is some form of cessation of military activities — and it can have different shapes and forms, and it can be a ceasefire or a peace agreement — until that happens, there is military activity around this huge facility, and we could be confronted with something very, very serious. We know that. And this has also been discussed with Ambassador Witkoff. We know that in their considerations of this item, which is part of a different track of diplomacy, the fate and what's going to happen with the nuclear power plant has been considered.”
8. Wide shot, Jean-Noël Barrot and Rafael Grossi at the stakeout area
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Grossi, Director-General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):
“Let me clarify one thing. We are there. We are inspecting there. It is not as if we have been completely blinded, but we have lost a lot in terms of the visibility we used to have before. This is what has led me to say that in the current circumstances, it is very difficult for us to confirm that everything is in good order. So, we are discussing with them what is necessary and what they have to explain. This being said, it is obvious that things are interrelated. And when it comes to what is happening in Iran, you know, one hand is looking at what the other hand does. Or put more simply, the bilateral process between the United States and Iran, and this process between the agency and Iran, could be reinforcing or, on the contrary, influencing. So, we hope that we can make progress in both of them in synchronicity and in a good way.”
10. Wide shot, Jean-Noël Barrot and Rafael Grossi leave the stakeout area
Briefing reporters today (Apr 28) after a private meeting of the UN Security Council, Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), highlighted ongoing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear program and nuclear safety concerns in Ukraine.
Grossi described the current moment as one of "enormous importance," noting multiple diplomatic processes underway. "In particular, there is a very important effort between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said, adding that he remains in "constant contact with Ambassador Witkoff," while also consulting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to ensure that the IAEA can maintain its technical oversight capabilities.
The private meeting, convened by France as Security Council president for April, focused on the growing threats facing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). According to a concept note circulated by France ahead of the meeting, the Council was encouraged to reflect on current non-proliferation challenges, recommit to supporting the NPT and the IAEA, and discuss how to strengthen enforcement of Security Council resolutions.
Barrot reiterated to reporters France’s support for ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran, emphasizing that "what serves the interests of Europe is for Iran never to have a bomb." He said France is closely coordinating with U.S. officials, including Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, as the expiration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) approaches. "We will have an important decision to make by the summer, the decision to reapply the sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago," Barrot said. "This, of course, will depend on the commitments that Iran is willing to make," he added.
According to Barrot, both sides have shown a willingness to reach an agreement "that would lead to a concrete, tangible and verifiable rollback of Iran’s nuclear program."
Turning to Ukraine, Grossi warned about ongoing dangers surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. "The IAEA has been playing a very active role since 2022 where I personally set up a permanent presence of IAEA experts," he said. "Until there is some form of cessation of military activities... we could be confronted with something very, very serious."
Grossi added that discussions about the plant’s fate are part of broader diplomatic tracks and have been raised in consultations with Ambassador Witkoff.
Asked about the agency’s ability to monitor Iran's activities, Grossi clarified that "we are there, we are inspecting there. It is not as if we have been completely blinded, but we have lost a lot in terms of the visibility we used to have before." He stressed that it is currently "very difficult" for the IAEA to confirm that Iran’s nuclear activities are fully in line with prior agreements, citing the interconnected nature of political negotiations and technical verification efforts.
Grossi expressed hope that progress could be made "in synchronicity" across both diplomatic and technical tracks.
