Iran’s uranium enrichment a ‘serious matter,' says potential IAEA chief

Argentina’s Rafael Gross is vying for the top job after the death of Yukiya Amano in July

Iran has broken the uranium stockpile limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal. AP

The International Atomic Energy Agency should "tell it as it is" and hold Iran accountable for failing to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal, a leading contender to head the UN's nuclear watchdog has said.

Rafael Grossi, Argentina's envoy to the IAEA said "stability must be restored".  The "serious matter" must be dealt with "extremely prudently", he said.

He was speaking to the Financial Times soon after the death of previous IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano, who had overseen the 2015 deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities. The IAEA had previously found Tehran to have complied with the deal.

Iran has broken the enrichment targets in recent weeks and raised tension in the Arabian Gulf by seizing or hassling oil tankers — a move largely condemned by world powers.

But Tehran blames President Donald Trump, who withdrew the US from the Obama-era deal in 2018 and described it as "rotten". He has also increased sanctions on the regime, which has led to economic problems in Iran.

Mr Grossi, 58, was unsure if Iran's decision to raise its nuclear capabilities was a protest against the sanctions or a "deliberate accelerated effort" that could result in a "more problematic situation".

The situation with Iran of, in Mr Grossi's words, "gloom and despair" has led to new fears of a so-called arms race — but the Argentine was cautious of such comments and said "history is not linear".

He argued the situation in North Korea two years ago had been far more alarming. Mr Trump has sought to personally solve the situation with Pyongyang but little has concretely been agreed despite numerous high-level meetings.

“These situations evolve and change. We are not definitely going into an abyss, or to Nirvana. International life is a bit more complex. But we need to make sure that we have all the elements for diplomacy, in every case, to avoid a terminal crisis.”