Nuclear Proliferation

Iran's Enriched Uranium Stockpile Soars: IAEA Concerns Grow

A recent confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found that Iran now possesses 23 times as much enriched uranium as agreed in the 2015 international nuclear deal. In his latest report, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi discusses verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran and indirectly confirmed the concerns of the confidential report days earlier.

June 5, 2023

IAEA Informs Tons of Uranium Disappeared in Libya

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), tons of uranium have disappeared in Libya. The natural uranium is no longer in the facility where it was stored, according to an IAEA letter to the organization's member states.

March 15, 2023

IAEA Confirms Traces of Highly Enriched Uranium in Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found particles of very highly enriched uranium in Iran. As the Director-General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, officially confirmed for the first time, the uranium had a purity level of 83.7 percent. The value is not far from 90 percent, which would be necessary for nuclear weapons.

March 2, 2023

IAEA Chief Grossi and Austrian Foreign Minister Schallenberg Visit Brussels

Austria recorded a small but significant diplomatic success at Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg's visit to the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. Already in the run-up to the meeting, the EU foreign ministers met Rafael Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on the initiative of Foreign Minister Schallenberg.

January 23, 2023

IAEA Arrives in Iran Capital for New Nuclear Negotiations

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran. On the agenda of the IAEA team are new negotiations with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) as well as representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear program appear to be dragging on and on.

December 18, 2022

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Landsbergis Visits Vienna

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis came to Vienna for a visit, meeting his counterpart in Austria, Alexander Schallenberg. In addition, Landsbergis met with IAEA Chief Rafael Mariano Grossi and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid. The exchanges focused on the Russian war in Ukraine, in particular European support efforts against the backdrop of the approaching winter, as well as the prosecution of war crimes. In addition, the two foreign ministers discussed current developments in Iran and increasing migration pressure.

December 11, 2022

Iran Nuclear Talks: Iranian Officials Say Talks Are "Dead End"

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the nuclear negotiations have reached a "dead end", adding that Europe has not fulfilled its obligations. Even so, Iran's foreign ministry said it is committed to finding a diplomatic solution to its nuclear dispute with the U.S. and Europe, but it is not optimistic the negotiations with Washington will succeed.

November 29, 2022

North Korea Sets Missile Test on Purposeful Escalation with the West and the IAEA

The provocation on the part of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, which has been going on for years, is becoming more and more intense. In recent weeks alone, a large number of missiles have been fired at both the east and west coasts. The International Atomic Energy Agency fears that North Korea's nuclear program is moving forward.

November 20, 2022

International Atomic Energy Agency and its 66th General Conference

Many issues were discussed at the 66th General Conference of the IAEA, held in Vienna. The theme of "Global Cooperation in the Nuclear Field" focused not only on nuclear security, the future of nuclear technologies, and the role of the IAEA but also on global nuclear security issues, such as Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs as well as recent Russian nuclear threats.

October 1, 2022

Weekly Briefing: 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency

The Find out more about this week's developments. Diplomacy is working at full speed and is already preparing exciting glimpses of the fall. The IAEA is holding its 66th General Conference and there are new economic developments in Austria. Read about the latest developments in diplomacy in Vienna and Austria.

September 29, 2022

Opening of the 66th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency

The 66th IAEA General Conference is taking place at the Agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 26-30 September. Representatives from the IAEA’s 175 Member States are convening at the conference in Vienna. Under the theme "Global Cooperation in the Nuclear Field," the focus is not only on nuclear security and the role of the IAEA but also on Iran's buildup of highly enriched uranium stockpiles as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the accompanying nuclear threats from Russia.

September 26, 2022

Iran Nuclear Talks: New False Hopes?

The Vienna nuclear talks regarding the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are entering the next round. While statements and papers are being bounced between parties, many ask themselves if there will be a solution soon.

September 20, 2022

Meeting between French President Macron and IAEA Chief Grossi

French President Emmanuel Macron received the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi. The meeting between the two dignitaries focused on the threat posed by Russia's war against Ukrainian civilian nuclear facilities. Macron assured the IAEA Director General of France's support in the IAEA's upcoming mission to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

August 28, 2022

Hiroshima Memorial Day: Austria Advocates Nuclear Dismantlement

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has once again called on the major international powers to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The occasion was the anniversary of the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

August 5, 2022

Weekly Briefing: Vienna Iran Nuclear Talks Back on Track

The Find out more about this week's developments. Negotiations with Iran to save the nuclear agreement have resumed in Vienna. The Ukrainian ambassador, Vasyl Khymynets, recently criticized the Austrian police. Read about the latest developments in diplomacy in Vienna and Austria.

August 4, 2022

UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference in New York

The UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty tenth review conference is held in New York after a two-year delay caused by the CoV pandemic. Even before Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, nuclear disarmament had stalled. Now, reducing the nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons worldwide is becoming even more difficult.

August 1, 2022

Iran Expressed Readiness to Continue Nuclear Talks

EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell visited Tehran and announced that Iran wants to resume the stalled negotiations on the international nuclear agreement in the coming days.

June 27, 2022

Weekly Briefing: Newest Developments in Diplomacy and Vienna

Read about the newest developments in Diplomacy in Vienna and Austria. Further, Austria is strengthening its efforts in aiding Ukraine, international politics and local grievances. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov visited Iran. The Find out more about this week's developments.

June 23, 2022

First Conference of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Vienna

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons wants to ban the possession of Nuclear Weapons in the world. Member states of the treaty met today in Vienna for the first time to convene about further developments.

June 21, 2022

Iran Nuclear Talks: EU Tries To Revive the Negotiations

European officials are trying to save the Iran nuclear deal. To find a solution to the months-long standoff between Tehran and Washington, EU coordinator Enrique Mora is scheduled to visit Tehran. Read about the newest developments in Iran and the JCPOA.

May 8, 2022

IAEA’s First International Conference on Nuclear Law

The IAEA currently hosts the world's top experts on nuclear law to examine the current nuclear law framework in the changing landscape of technology, opportunities, and challenges. Read more about the importance of the First International Conference on Nuclear Law.

April 26, 2022

Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants Still Under Control of Russian Forces But Safety Systems Fully Functional IAEA Says

Ukraine's Nuclear Power Plants Zaporizhzhya and Chernobyl are still under Russian control, but regulator said, that the Ukrainian staff continued to operate the plants. In the case of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, staff have not been able to rotate for more than three weeks.

March 18, 2022

Nuclear Safety and Security in Ukraine: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Largely Out of Danger Again

According to the Vienna-based Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been reconnected to Ukraine's national power grid and no longer relies on emergency diesel generators. However, the nuclear plant and its employees have been in Russian control since it was captured by Russian units and continue to be cut off from the outside world.

March 16, 2022

IAEA Board of Governors Emergency Meeting Condemns Unprovoked Attacks Against Ukraine

At an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, the Board condemned the unprovoked attacks against Ukraine and discussed the status of the nuclear safeguards in Ukraine. Read more about the Board's meeting and the current situation regarding Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

March 3, 2022

UN General Assembly: 141 States Condemn Russian Aggression and Rights Violations against Ukraine

By a large majority, the UN General Assembly has condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine. 141 states voted in favor of a resolution to this effect and demanded Russia's withdrawal from the country. Austria was represented by its UN Ambassador.

March 2, 2022

IAEA Warns of Nuclear Accidents During Ukraine Invasion

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), four nuclear facilities of the country have already been affected by the Russian attacks in Ukraine. Read what the incidents are and what the current status of the damage is.

March 1, 2022

Nuclear Watchdog Steps Up Drive to Strengthen Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seeking to convince more countries to join in giving IAEA inspectors wider access to locations and information as part of a push to further bolster the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

February 2, 2022

Sergei Lavrov Expects Clarifications from Individual Western Countries on Russia's Security

The Russian foreign minister's remarks raise hopes for further diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine crisis.

February 2, 2022

Russian Ambassador in Vienna Delivers Message from Lavrov on Security Guarantees in Europe to Schallenberg

Russian Ambassador to Vienna H.E. Dmitry Lyubinsky has delivered a message about "Moscow's position on mutual security guarantees" from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.

February 1, 2022

U.S. Ambassador Laura Holgate Presented Her Credentials to the United Nations Office at Vienna

Professional U.S. diplomat with expertise in nonproliferation, nuclear deterrence, nuclear security, disarmament, nuclear energy and other related areas becomes ambassador at a time when Europe is facing the greatest threat of war since World War II.

February 1, 2022

Vienna Nuclear Talks: Direct Contacts between Tehran and Washington Possible

Iranian leadership has suggested that Iran may be open to meeting directly with U.S. officials for negotiations to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal. Read about this significant stance change and what it means for the JCPOA.

January 27, 2022

Risk of Disastrous Nuclear Conflict Higher Than Ever Before

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists kept the "doomsday clock" set at "100 seconds to midnight" yet again this year, arguing that current geopolitical tensions have put the risk of nuclear conflict higher than ever before. Read what has the scientists so worried and what Foreign Minister Schallenberg said about the threat.

January 25, 2022

European Leaders Take Unified Position Against Russian Aggression Against Ukraine

Several heads of state - including Ursula von der Leyen, Jens Stoltenberg, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Mario Draghi, Charles Michel and Polish President Andrzej Duda, representing the Chairmanship of the OSCE - took part in a virtual meeting organised by the President of the United States Joe Biden, on Russia’s continued military build-up in and around Ukraine and its implications for European and international security.

January 24, 2022

Van der Bellen: New Year's Address to the Diplomatic Corps in Vienna

President Van der Bellen delivered his New Year's address to the Diplomatic Corps in Vienna. He talked about the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more. Read what the president said and watch his speech.

January 24, 2022

Russian Arms Control Delegation in Vienna: Contradictions Related to U.S. Social Media Account Outages

According to reports by Russian news agencies TASS and RT, the Facebook account of the Russian Arms Control Delegation, a division of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the OSCE in Vienna, was blocked last Friday and unblocked on Monday, after intervention by Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor. A fact check of the relevant Russian media reports reveals a tangle of allegations and exaggerations.

January 19, 2022

Meet the Reappointed U.S. Ambassador to the U.S. Mission in Vienna, Laura S.H. Holgate

Laura Susan Hayes Holgate, an American diplomat who was already accredited as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna and to the IAEA for six months between 2016 and 2017, is back under President Joe Biden.

January 16, 2022

NATO and Russian Leaders Say Differences "Will Be Hard to Bridge"

Representatives from NATO and Russia met in Brussels at the NATO-Russia Council to try to de-escalate the tensions between Russia and Ukraine and NATO. Read what each side is demanding and why the leaders say the differences "will be hard to bridge."

January 12, 2022

Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States: Austria's Foreign Minister Calls for Concrete Action

"We finally need concrete progress towards nuclear disarmament according to the obligations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but unfortunately the development is going in the wrong direction", says Alexander Schallenberg.

January 10, 2022

Portrait: Who Is Robert Malley, the Old and New U.S. Lead Negotiator of the Iran Nuclear Talks?

In 2021, Robert Malley was appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, which means he is once again the lead negotiator for the U.S. in the Iran nuclear talks. Read about Mr. Malley's career and his efforts to limit Iran's nuclear activities.

December 15, 2021

Who Is Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran's Former Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna?

After serving for over three years as Iran's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharib Abadi is now the Vice-President of Iran’s Judiciary for International Affairs and Secretary-General of Iran's High Council for Human Rights. Read more about Mr. Gharib Abadi's career path.

December 13, 2021

Iran Nuclear Talks In Vienna To Be Continued

Negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program and a return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are set to continue in Vienna. Read about the ongoing effort to save the Iran Nuclear Deal.

December 9, 2021

Blinken Thanks Austria for Hosting Iran Nuclear Deal Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Austria for hosting the Iran nuclear deal talks on his first call with his Austrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Linhart. Read about this and what else Blinken and Linhart talked about on their first call.

December 1, 2021

Iran Nuclear Talks to Continue in Vienna

Discussions regarding the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, are set to continue in Vienna. This has been confirmed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, also announced to the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran has agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to service the agency’s monitoring and surveillance equipment in Iran and replace their storage media. These developments come as US President Joe Biden has publicly expressed interest in returning to the agreement that his predecessor unilaterally withdrew from.

September 24, 2021

Kazakhstan Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Weapons Test Site

The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Vienna is calling for the promotion of its anti-nuclear initiatives and to commemorate the long-term consequences of the legacy of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Weapons Test Site in eastern Ksakhstan.

September 1, 2021

President of Kazakhstan Receives CTBTO Executive Secretary Robert Floyd

At a press conference organized by the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in Nur-Sultan, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Robert Floyd, said on August 27 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk test site that the dismantling of the nuclear arsenal inherited by Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union has proved to be a visionary, wise and noble decision.

August 27, 2021

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorial: Austria Calls for Disarmament

On the 76th anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called for nuclear disarmament. They highlighted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), signed earlier this year, as a good starting point.

August 5, 2021

CTBTO Has a New Executive Secretary

Australian scientist Dr. Robert Floyd became the new Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) after signing an appointment letter at the CTBTO headquarters in Vienna. Learn more about him.

August 5, 2021

Vienna Hosts Discussion Over Iran Nuclear Agreement

High representatives of the EU, China, France, Germany, Russia, UK, Iran and the United States have come to Vienna in order to discuss a possible revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as Iran Nuclear Agreement. Although progress was made, the path to a final decision might be long.

April 12, 2021

Israel's President Visits Van der Bellen

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin came to the Hofburg in Vienna to discuss with Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen Israel's concerns regarding Iran and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Austria's Federal President pleaded for a "way back to the negotiating table" with Iran hinting at the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was negotiated in Vienna in 2015.

March 19, 2021

Schallenberg Delighted About Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg is delighted about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entering into force. 90 days after ratification by the 50th signatory country, the Treaty entered into force on January 22, 2021. Schallenberg emphasizes the importance of destroying nuclear weapons "before they destroy us."

January 27, 2021