2015 nuclear deal ‘no basis’ for any new agreement with Iran

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The 2015 nuclear accord with Iran cannot be the starting point for a new agreement with the country, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday in New York. 

Rafael Mariano Grossi was speaking during a press conference at UN Headquarters held on the margins of the latest international review of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). 

He said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – agreed by Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany and the European Union – “could not constitute a basis” for a new deal and “we need to look into something different” as Iran’s nuclear programme has changed too much. 

Mr. Grossi was also asked about enriched uranium which is reportedly now buried under rubble following recent US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran. 

The IAEA was inspecting highly enriched nuclear material up until June 2025, he said, and teams sealed some 440 kilogrammes of uranium during their last visit “so we need to check that that is the case.” 

He stressed that until inspectors can return, the agency “cannot confirm that this is the situation.” 

Addressing the NPT meeting, Mr. Grossi called for renewed commitment to non-proliferation, warning that “a world with more countries with nuclear weapons would not be a safer world.” 

Nuclear testing threats 

Meanwhile, at a time when global tensions persist and multilateralism is under attack, efforts to prohibit nuclear testing remain crucial, the head of the organization that oversees the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) told journalists. 

“We see multilateralism under intense pressure, various elements of treaties that are important for international security under pressure…rhetoric about threats of nuclear testing, returning to testing, and even concerns about possible use,” Executive Secretary Robert Floyd said. 

“This is why the work of organizations such as the CTBTO to seek to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and the further development of them is so critically important.” 

Near universal support 

The test-ban treaty forbids all nuclear explosions on the planet – whether above ground, underwater, or underground.  

The CTBT opened for signature 30 years ago and “has almost turned off the tap when it comes to nuclear weapon testing,” as fewer than a dozen tests have taken place since then. 

Mr. Floyd described it as “a treaty that has almost universally supported a ban on nuclear testing, no matter what size” with “a verification system that gives nations confidence, so that there is a powerful norm against testing.” 

Not yet in force 

Although 187 States have signed the treaty, with 178 ratifying, it has not yet entered into force as this requires ratification by nine key countries with nuclear technology – China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States. 

Mr. Floyd was later asked if there had been any movement in this regard. 

 “I think it’s fair to say that we need to see a way that the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, might be able to address the treaty and its ratification together,” he said. 

“It is, I think, quite unlikely that any one of them would move on that without the others simultaneously moving together. And that certainly is something that I would encourage all of those States to consider, and that would certainly be a powerful step forward.” 

Verification system 

On monitoring, he said the verification system is already over 90 per cent established and 307 facilities are in place around the world and operating. 

“All of the six North Korean tests were detected, even the very first one, which was quite small,” he said. 

The verification system will allow the CTBTO to detect nuclear explosions of 500 tonnes of TNT or above – or roughly two to three per cent of the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the Second World War. 

It will be “a powerful benefit to all humanity, because any State that thinks of developing a nuclear weapon would need to test one – and if they did, it will be known to all.” 

Combating disinformation 

Mr. Floyd also highlighted another aspect of his organization’s work – addressing disinformation around seismic events, as happened in late 2024 regarding Iran. 

“Social media got very excited as people were claiming those seismic events to be nuclear tests,” he said.  “But the analysis done by my colleagues showed that those events were entirely consistent with natural seismic events – earthquakes – in northern Iran.”  

More work ahead 

Mr. Floyd ended his briefing by reflecting on the past three decades. 

“So much has been achieved, so much has been contributed to international peace and security, but there still is so much more that we need to achieve,” he said.