Rafael Mariano Grossi

Force in Play

Monitoring nuclear site damage; reversed initial assessment on Natanz

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and hitting nuclear and military sites. A 60-day ceasefire expired on August 18 without renewal, and Iran said it would shift to a 'fully offensive' military posture.

Updated 2 days ago

Force in Play

Brokers unprecedented localized ceasefire for emergency nuclear safety repairs after 12th ZNPP blackout

Since October 2022, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s power plants, substations, rail hubs and ports in repeated missile and drone waves. The campaign forced a formal energy emergency in January 2026, when the grid met only 60% of demand and available capacity had fallen to about 14 gigawatts from 33.7 before the invasion.

Updated 3 days ago

Force in Play

Said June 24 that the MOU explicitly commits Iran to IAEA nuclear supervision; Iran disputed the timing, saying inspector access comes only after a final deal

Iran said on November 2 that it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days and restart nuclear talks, shortening a plan it had earlier said would take a week. The offer kept its conditions: the US must lift sanctions on Iranian oil, accept a ceasefire that covers Lebanon, and let ships use a route agreed with Oman under Iranian supervision.

Updated 6 days ago

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Leading IAEA monitoring of North Korea's nuclear program

North Korea has completed a second uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon, the International Atomic Energy Agency says. The two-storey building can house up to 28 centrifuge cascades, and an expanded annex at Kangson began operating in January 2026.

Updated Sep 10

Built World

As of September 2026: Brokering localized ceasefires to keep the plant safe

Europe's largest nuclear plant has run on emergency diesel generators since August 20, when military activity severed its last connection to the power grid. Diesel reserves are nearly gone, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned the plant could lose all power within days.

Updated Sep 5

Force in Play

As of August 2026: Overseeing inspections and the planned material removal

For nineteen years, the ruins of a bombed reactor in eastern Syria held a stash of uranium no inspector could touch. Now Syria's new government says it will let the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), haul the material away. The move heads off an Israeli threat to bomb the site a second time.

Updated Aug 11

Built World

As of May 2026: Sent recorded congratulatory message to Bangladesh fuel-loading ceremony

Bangladesh first considered building a nuclear plant in 1961, when the site at Rooppur was still part of East Pakistan. Sixty-five years later, on April 28, 2026, technicians began lowering 163 uranium fuel assemblies into the core of Unit 1—the step that turns a construction project into a nuclear power station.

Updated May 31

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Actively monitoring Bushehr; issuing repeated warnings against strikes near nuclear facilities

A projectile struck 350 meters from Iran's only operating nuclear reactor on April 4, killing a security guard and damaging an auxiliary building. It was the fourth time ordnance has landed on or near the Bushehr nuclear power plant since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Monitoring nuclear sites; warning of radiological catastrophe risk following Bushehr strikes

Iran's nuclear infrastructure has become the primary target of an intensifying US-Israeli air campaign that began February 28 and has now entered its sixth week. The Natanz uranium enrichment complex has been struck four times. On April 4, 2026, US and Israeli forces expanded the campaign to strike the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Mahshahr petrochemical hub in southwestern Iran. The strikes killed at least one security guard and wounded five workers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that strikes on civilian nuclear power plants cross 'the reddest line' of nuclear safety, raising the risk of a radiological catastrophe. Meanwhile, Iran has demonstrated growing military capability: on April 4, Iranian air defenses downed two US warplanes, marking the first confirmed loss of American aircraft in the conflict.

Updated May 30

Built World

As of May 2026: Warning that grid damage increases nuclear safety risks

Ukrainian officials say more than 450 drones and about 30 missiles hit energy and port infrastructure overnight. Odesa and surrounding areas went dark.

Updated May 15