Showing posts with label United Nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Nations. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

#DRC #Ebola #outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine (UN News Centre, May 19 '26)

 


By Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer, Geneva | 19 May 2026 Health


    A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. 

    WHO’s representative in DRC, Dr Anne Ancia, told reporters in Geneva that there are more than 500 suspected cases including 130 suspected deaths, but that only 30 cases have been confirmed in the country so far.

    The agency is working closely with the authorities and rushing more testing kits to eastern DRC to identify cases of infection of Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus for which there are no vaccines or therapeutics.

    “We have significant uncertainty about the number of infections and how far the virus has spread,” Dr Ancia said.

    Speaking from Bunia in Ituri province, where cases were initially detected, Dr Ancia said that the outbreak has also reached North Kivu, with confirmed cases in Butembo and Goma. Uganda has also confirmed two imported cases.

    WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday morning. He has expressed concern about the “scale and speed of the epidemic”.

    Uncertainty still surrounds how and where outbreak started

    “I don't think that we have the ‘patient zero’ for now,” said Dr Ancia. “What we know for now is that on 5 May, there was…a person who died in Bunia. The body was brought back [to] Mongbwalu…and put in a coffin. And then the family decided that the coffin was not worth the person. And therefore…they changed the coffin. And then there was the funeral, and it's from where it started.”

    Detection of the initial cases was slowed down by the fact that local tests in Bunia showed negative results for the Zaire strain of Ebola. The wide range of symptoms - fever, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting - also complicated the task of making a swift diagnosis, with the additional difficulty that the nosebleeds that are also associated with the disease did not begin until day five of infection, the WHO official explained.


Kinshasa breakthrough

    In the end, it was only through tests in Kinshasa that the presence of Bundibugyo virus was finally revealed. 

    Dr Ancia said that there is a focus on the international level on potential candidate vaccines or treatments which could help fight the outbreak. A WHO technical advisory group was scheduled to meet on Tuesday afternoon “to provide further recommendation to the WHO and its Member States on which potential vaccine should be prioritized”, she explained.

    Ervebo, a vaccine against the Zaire Ebola virus, is under consideration, the WHO representative said, but “it would take two months for it to be available”.

    While a vaccine could bring additional prevention and protection to the affected populations, the key to containing transmission lies in grassroots work within the communities to raise awareness, fight misinformation and ensure adherence to sanitary measures, especially around funerals.

    “If we use coercive measures and the population does not agree, we will see bodies disappear. We will see suspected cases refusing to come to the hospitals and health facilities,” Dr Ancia warned, underscoring health workers’ continuing engagement with schools, churches and community leaders. 

    WHO is supporting the Government-led response with more than 40 health professionals on the ground and through the deployment of supplies and extra diagnostic capacity, in what remains a “highly complex epidemiological, operational and humanitarian context”, characterized by insecurity and displacement, the WHO representative said.


IDP vulnerability

    The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday that the affected provinces of Ituri and North Kivu are home to more than two million internally displaced people and returnees, while healthcare capacity remains weakened by conflict. 

    There is also concern for refugees living in the affected areas. In Ituri some 11,000 South Sudanese refugees require preventive assistance while in North Kivu’s capital, the rebel-held city of Goma, more than 2,000 Rwandan and Burundian refugees need sanitary supplies.

    The most recent outbreak of the Ebola Zaire virus in DRC ended in December 2025, and the trauma of a major epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri in 2018-19 persists among the population.

    Dr Ancia stressed that while it may be two months until a vaccine is available, “it is not two months before the outbreak will be done”. 

    “Remember the previous one, it took two years,” she warned.


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167542

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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Wider #hantavirus #outbreak risk is ‘absolutely low’, insists #UN health agency (UN News Centre, May 12 '26)

 


By Daniel Johnson in Geneva | 8 May 2026 | Health


The risk of hantavirus spreading to the general population is “absolutely low”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday, as a flight attendant tested negative for the disease after coming into contact with an infected passenger from the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak, who later died. 

“This is not COVID,” a WHO spokesperson told journalists at a briefing in Geneva, as the agency continues to coordinate the response to the deadly outbreak on a cruise liner moored in Cabo Verde. 

To date, three people have died and several others fell ill aboard the Dutch-flagged ship the Hondius, prompting a major international public health response involving countries across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

“Let’s not forget from couples who were close…from a flight attendant who handled the sick woman who just shortly after died and was feeling extremely unwell, we get negative test results. That should convince nearly everybody now that this is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who is really infected. And it's the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.

Eight cases of infection have been reported so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases linked to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, according to WHO.


No comparison with COVID

“I need to stress again and again, even those who have been sharing cabins don't seem to be both infected in some cases…it’s not spreading anything close to how COVID was spreading,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

Beyond the Hantius cruise liner where the outbreak was first reported, contact tracing has continued of potentially infected individuals.

“It’s following up on everybody. It’s looking into seating lists of planes, of ships, maybe even more tracing somebody's steps, seeing where they would have been or might have been in close contact,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

According to WHO, transmission generally requires close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners or healthcare workers. 

Even so, the wife whose infected husband is being treated in a Swiss hospital “has not presented any symptoms and is self-isolating…So that shows you, again, luckily, apparently the virus is not that contagious,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

The first known patient developed symptoms on 6 April and later died aboard the vessel. His wife also became ill and died after being evacuated to South Africa, where laboratory testing confirmed hantavirus infection.


Rodent risk

Prior to boarding, the couple had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a birdwatching trip, including visits to sites where the rodent species known to carry the virus is present.

Another passenger died on 2 May and while one man remains in intensive care in South Africa, WHO said his condition is improving. Other patients have been transferred to hospitals in the Netherlands for treatment.

WHO said no passengers or crew currently remaining aboard the ship are showing symptoms.

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses carried by rodents and are usually transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their urine, saliva or droppings (...).

The Andes strain, found in parts of Latin America, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

The outbreak has triggered action under the International Health Regulations, the global framework designed to coordinate responses to cross-border health threats.

WHO said it is working closely with authorities in Cabo Verde, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Argentina, alongside the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Source: 


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167465

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Friday, May 8, 2026

Wider #hantavirus #outbreak #risk is ‘absolutely low’, insists UN health agency (UN News Centre, May 8 '26)

 


8 May 2026 

The risk of hantavirus spreading to the general population is “absolutely low”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday, as a flight attendant tested negative for the disease after coming into contact with an infected passenger from the cruise ship at the centre of the outbreak, who later died. 

“This is not COVID,” a WHO spokesperson told journalists at a briefing in Geneva, as the agency continues to coordinate the response to the deadly outbreak on a cruise liner moored in Cabo Verde. 

To date, three people have died and several others fell ill aboard the Dutch-flagged ship the Hondius, prompting a major international public health response involving countries across Europe, Africa and Latin America.

“Let’s not forget from couples who were close…from a flight attendant who handled the sick woman who just shortly after died and was feeling extremely unwell, we get negative test results. That should convince nearly everybody now that this is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who is really infected. And it's the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.

Eight cases of infection have been reported so far, including five laboratory-confirmed infections and three suspected cases linked to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, according to WHO.


No comparison with COVID

“I need to stress again and again, even those who have been sharing cabins don't seem to be both infected in some cases…it’s not spreading anything close to how COVID was spreading,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

Beyond the Hantius cruise liner where the outbreak was first reported, contact tracing has continued of potentially infected individuals.

“It’s following up on everybody. It’s looking into seating lists of planes, of ships, maybe even more tracing somebody's steps, seeing where they would have been or might have been in close contact,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

According to WHO, transmission generally requires close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members, intimate partners or healthcare workers. 

Even so, the wife whose infected husband is being treated in a Swiss hospital “has not presented any symptoms and is self-isolating…So that shows you, again, luckily, apparently the virus is not that contagious,” Mr. Lindmeier said.

The first known patient developed symptoms on 6 April and later died aboard the vessel. His wife also became ill and died after being evacuated to South Africa, where laboratory testing confirmed hantavirus infection.


Rodent risk

Prior to boarding, the couple had travelled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on a birdwatching trip, including visits to sites where the rodent species known to carry the virus is present.

Another passenger died on 2 May and while one man remains in intensive care in South Africa, WHO said his condition is improving. Other patients have been transferred to hospitals in the Netherlands for treatment.

WHO said no passengers or crew currently remaining aboard the ship are showing symptoms.

Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses carried by rodents and are usually transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their urine, saliva or droppings ...

The Andes strain, found in parts of Latin America, is the only known hantavirus capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

The outbreak has triggered action under the International Health Regulations, the global framework designed to coordinate responses to cross-border health threats.

WHO said it is working closely with authorities in Cabo Verde, Spain, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Argentina, alongside the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Source: 


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167465

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Wednesday, May 6, 2026

#Hantavirus #outbreak {in cruise ship}: Another #passenger contracts disease {total so far 8, of these 3 confirmed} (UN News Centre, May 6 '26)

 


It’s been confirmed that another passenger from the cruise liner linked to the outbreak of hantavirus has contracted the disease, which has claimed the lives of three people on board and sparked an international alert coordinated by the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

The individual, who is male, had been travelling on the Dutch-flagged vessel, the Hondius, at the centre of the outbreak. 

He is being treated in a Zurich hospital after returning to Switzerland and responding to an email from the ship’s operator.

“In line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited,” the agency said in a post on X.

As of Wednesday, three of the ship’s 147 passengers have died since it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina, to its current berth off the coast of Cabo Verde, according to the WHO. 

On X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that three passengers “have just been evacuated” from the ship and were en route to the Netherlands for treatment.

“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” Tedros stressed.


Expedition ship

Publicly available data indicates that the vessel was built in Croatia and launched in June 2018. The Hondius is around 108 metres long and is listed under ship identification number 9818709 with the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). 

The vessel has capacity for 196 passengers and 72 crew; it is named after the 17th century map publisher and engraver Jodocus Hondius. 

The expedition ship’s maiden voyage in 2019 took it from Vlissingen in the Netherlands to the volcanic island of Jan Mayen and Spitzbergen in the Arctic Circle.

The UN agency said that the victims may have been infected with the disease prior to boarding. It has reported eight cases of infection so far, including three confirmed as Andes hantavirus by laboratory testing.

On Tuesday, the WHO said that one individual was in intensive care in South Africa, although their condition was “improving”. 

Work to identify the virus has involved the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The Pasteur Institute in Dakar and Argentina’s National Administration of Health Laboratories and Institutes also provided further “critical” support, WHO noted.


Patient care is ‘highest priority’

“WHO will continue to work with countries to ensure that the patients, contacts, passengers and crew have the information and support they need to stay safe and prevent spread,” the agency said.

At a press conference on Tuesday, WHO said that the “highest priority” was to evacuate the two ill passengers still on board “to make sure that they have the care that they receive”.

Once the ship reaches the Canary Islands, the agency’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove explained that the Spanish authorities would carry out a full epidemiological investigation and full disinfection of the ship, before assessing the risk passengers remaining on board.

“We have heard from quite a few people, you know, on the boat. We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators. We are working with the countries where you are from. We hear you. We know that you are scared.” said Dr. Van Kerkhove, WHO Director (a.i) Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Tuesday.

As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out. 

Source: 


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167449

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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

#Human spread of #hantavirus not ruled out on cruise #ship (UN News Centre, May 5 '26)

 


By Dominika Tomaszewska-Mortimer in Geneva

5 May 2026 


Hantavirus victims on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean may have been infected prior to joining the cruise and human-to-human transmission on board cannot be ruled out – although it is rare - the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The deadly disease outbreak has triggered an international public health response

Seven individuals of the 147 passengers and crew have been reported ill and three have died in what remains a fluid situation, WHO’s chief of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Dr Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters in Geneva.

“One patient is in intensive care in South Africa, although we understand that this patient is improving,” she said, while two patients still on board the ship, which is currently off the coast of Cabo Verde, are being prepared for medical evacuation to the Netherlands for treatment. 

Dr Van Kerkhove stressed that the situation is being closely monitored. As a precaution, passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins while disinfection and other public health measures are carried out. Medical teams from Cabo Verde are providing support on board the ship.

“The plan is, and our highest priority is, to medically evacuate these two individuals” to make sure that they receive the required care, she insisted. 

There are no other symptomatic patients on board. A third suspected case who reported a mild fever at one point “is currently doing well”, the WHO official said.


Spain cooperation

The ship is set to continue on to the Canary Islands. Ahead of arrival, Dr Van Kerkhove said that WHO is working with the Spanish authorities who “have said that they will welcome the ship to do a full epidemiologic investigation, full disinfection of the ship, and of course to assess the risk of the passengers”. 

Hantaviruses are carried by rodents and can cause severe disease in humans. Thousands of infections are estimated to occur each year. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, their droppings, or their saliva. 

Discussing the suspected origins of the outbreak, Dr Van Kerkhove said that the initial patients, a husband and wife, boarded the boat in Argentina

“With the timing of the incubation period of hantavirus, which can be anywhere from one to six weeks, our assumption is that they were infected off the ship,” she said. “This was an expedition boat… many of the people on board were doing bird watching” and “seeing a lot of different wildlife.”

The cruise stopped at several islands off the coast of Africa, Dr Van Kerkhove continued, some of which “have a lot of rodents”. 

“There could be some source of infection on the islands as well for some of the other suspect cases,” she said. “However, we do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts” such as the husband and wife and others who have shared cabins.


Past outbreak lessons

Transmission of infection between people is uncommon, but limited spread has been reported among close contacts in previous outbreaks of the Andes virus, which is part of the hantavirus group.

There are no specific treatments for hantavirus other than supportive care. 

“Typically, people will develop respiratory symptoms, so respiratory support is really important,” Dr Van Kerkhove said, stressing that some people require mechanical ventilation. Intensive care may be required, especially if the condition of patients deteriorates.

Directing her message at the people on the boat, where more than 20 nationalities are represented, the WHO official said: “We just want you to know we are working with the ship's operators” and with the travellers’ countries of origin.

“We hear you. We know that you are scared,” she said. “We're trying to make sure that the ship has as much information as they can…that you're cared for and of course, that you get home safely.”


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167440

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Monday, May 4, 2026

#WHO leads #response to cruise #ship #hantavirus #outbreak (UN News Centre, May 4 '26)

 


By Vibhu Mishra | 4 May 2026 

An outbreak of deadly hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has triggered an international public health response.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating evacuations and risk assessments following the death of three people and multiple suspected infections. One patient remains in intensive care in South Africa.

To date, one case has been confirmed after verification in a laboratory, but there are five additional suspected cases among those on board.  

“This is a serious but contained event and there is no need for panic or travel restrictions at this stage,” said Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.  


Focus on saving lives

“Our focus is clear: to save lives, contain risks and ensure that countries are fully supported with science-based action,” he added.

The agency’s Bhanu Bhatnagar told UN News that infections of the virus are uncommon and usually linked to infected rodents.

“They can be severe in some cases, and they are not easily transmitted between people. The risk to the wider public remains low at this time, and there’s no cause for concern or travel restrictions.”

Worldwide, at least 10,000 and perhaps more than 100,000 infections occur every year; most are in Asia and Europe.

In humans, symptoms usually begin between one and six weeks after exposure to an infected carrier and typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting.


International cooperation

The UN health agency is working closely with countries involved and the ship’s operators to support medical care, coordinate evacuations and conduct a full health risk assessment.

Two symptomatic passengers are being medically evacuated, while passengers and crew on board are receiving monitoring and support.

Investigations into the outbreak are ongoing, including laboratory testing, epidemiological tracing and genetic sequencing of the virus.

WHO has also informed national authorities under the International Health Regulations and is preparing a public disease outbreak news update.


Source: 


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167433

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Three dead in suspected #hantavirus infection #outbreak on cruise #ship: #WHO (UN News Centre, May 4 '26)


Three people have died and three others are ill following suspected cases of hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

WHO is supporting the response, noting that one case of the rodent-borne disease has been confirmed so far and there are five additional suspected cases.  Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing.

Of the six people affected, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa

“Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing,” WHO said in a statement posted on X.


Rapid action critical

In a separate tweet, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency “is facilitating medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, conducting a full risk assessment, and supporting affected people onboard.”

He stressed that “rapid, coordinated action is critical to contain risks and protect public health.”

Hantavirus infection is a rare disease linked to infected rodent droppings or urine that can cause life-threatening respiratory problems. 

The cruise liner—operated by a Dutch company—left Argentina three weeks ago and was ultimately heading for the Canary Islands but is currently sitting off the coast of Cabo Verde in West Africa, according to media reports.

WHO has also informed its National Focal Points in accordance with the International Health Regulations, the 2005 treaty that outlines countries' rights and obligations in managing public health risks, events and emergencies that could potentially cross borders.

A public notice also will be issued.

Source: 


Link: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167431

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Saturday, June 14, 2025

#IAEA DG Grossi’s #Statement to #UNSC on #Situation in #Iran (June 14 '25)

Early this morning, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed of the military operation launched by Israel which includes attacks on nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

As I reported this morning to the IAEA Board of Governors, we have been in permanent contact with the Iran Nuclear Regulatory Authority, to ascertain the status of relevant nuclear facilities and to assess any wider impacts on nuclear safety and security.

Iran has confirmed that at present, only the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant site has been attacked in today’s strikes. This facility contains the Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant.

At Natanz, the above-ground part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, where Iran was producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235, has been destroyed.

Electricity infrastructure at the facility (electrical sub-station, main electric power supply building, emergency power supply and back-up generators) has been destroyed.

There is no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. However, the loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there.

The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event.

However, due to the impacts, there is radiological and chemical contamination inside the facilities in Natanz. The type of radiation present inside the facility, primarily alpha particles, is manageable with appropriate radiation protection measures.

At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on the other facilities, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant; and Esfahan site, where a fuel plate fabrication plant, a fuel manufacturing plant, a uranium conversion facility and an enriched UO2 powder plant are located. However I have to inform that at this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well which initially had not been part of military operation.

All these developments are deeply concerning. I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.  Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security.

In this regard, the IAEA recalls the numerous General Conference resolutions on the topic of military attacks against nuclear facilities, in particular, GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, which provide, inter alia, that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency”. 

Furthermore, the IAEA has consistently underlined that armed attacks on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked”, as was stated in GC(XXXIV)/RES/533.

As Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and consistent with the objectives of the IAEA under the IAEA Statute, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond.

Madame Under Secretary General evoked that yesterday, the Board of Governors of the IAEA adopted an important resolution on Iran’s safeguards obligations. In addition to this, the Board resolution stressed its support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear programme.

The IAEA continues to monitor the situation closely.  Our Incident and Emergency Center (IEC) has maintained continuous contact with Iranian authorities from the onset of the attack, regularly confirming the status of the facilities and will continue to do so in the coming days. Additionally, we have established a task force comprising several senior staff members to monitor the situation closely over the next few days, and they will be available 24/7at the disposal of the UNSC.

The IAEA stands ready to provide technical assistance, and remains committed to its nuclear safety, security and safeguards mandate in all circumstances. I stand ready to engage with all relevant parties to help ensure the protection of nuclear facilities and the continued peaceful use of nuclear technology in accordance with the Agency mandate, including, deploying Agency nuclear security and safety experts (in addition to our safeguards inspectors in Iran) wherever necessary to ensure that nuclear installations are fully protected and continue to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.

As I informed today the IAEA Board of Governors, I have indicated to the respective authorities my readiness to travel at the earliest to assess the situation and ensure safety, security and non-proliferation in Iran.

I have also been in contact with our inspectors in Iran and Israel. The safety of our staff is of paramount importance. All necessary actions are being taken to ensure they are not harmed.

Despite the current military actions and heightened tensions, it is clear that the only sustainable path forward—for Iran, for Israel, the entire region, and the international community—is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability, and cooperation. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency, as the International technical institution entrusted with overseeing the peaceful use of nuclear energy, remains a unique and vital forum for dialogue, especially now. 

In accordance with its Statute and longstanding mandate, the IAEA provides the framework and natural platform where facts prevail over rhetoric and where engagement can replace escalation. 

I reaffirm the Agency’s readiness to facilitate technical discussions and support efforts that promote transparency, safety, security and the peaceful resolution of nuclear-related issues in Iran.

Source: IAEA, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/statements/director-general-grossis-statement-to-unsc-on-situation-in-iran

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