00:00Let me start off by asking you, when exactly was the last time IAEA inspectors were in Iran, and what did you see?
00:07Well, yes, that is correct, by and large. We have been there, we are still there, in the sense that inspections do continue,
00:16but as you rightly say, not to every place, or at least not to every facility that we should be inspecting.
00:24We have been conducting a series of inspections at facilities which were not hit at the 12-day war past June,
00:35but we haven't had access to Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo, the facilities that were hit at that time.
00:44And this is part of the conversations, the discussions, the negotiations we are having with Iran at the moment,
00:51to try to return to those places, because it's still very important.
00:56Have you made any headway in determining the location and the condition of the highly enriched uranium?
01:03Well, I don't think any headway is needed, really, in terms of determining where it is,
01:09because I think there is widespread consensus, and there hasn't been any denial on that,
01:15that the material is, by and large, where it was before the attacks.
01:19So, the issue here is having access, when to do it, and how to do it.
01:25So, when President Trump says that their nuclear ambitions have been obliterated,
01:31that is a mischaracterization, because they're still sitting on this.
01:35I wouldn't qualify it like that.
01:38It's not a mischaracterization.
01:39I think it's true that there has been very considerable, severe damage to the nuclear infrastructure in Iran,
01:48that is going to be setting back the program considerably.
01:53So, there are different metrics as to how long that would take.
01:56But, in any case, it has been very important.
01:58But, and here comes the but, the material is still there, as I said,
02:04and most of the equipment that was destroyed could be replaced or could be rebuilt.
02:15So, this means that these capacities, these capabilities are still there.
02:20When it comes to enrichment or to centrifuges, we're not talking about something that you cannot rebuild relatively easy.
02:27It may take some time, but it can be done.
02:30So, the issue continues to be what are we going to do medium to long term
02:37in terms of providing a framework for a stable situation where it comes to Iran and its nuclear program.
02:44Yeah. What is your level of concern now vis-a-vis the potential for another Iran-Israel war
02:51and the potential for the U.S. to get involved?
02:52Are you in contact with them? Because last time around, your inspectors got stuck.
02:57Well, I'm constantly in contact with the foreign minister and others in Iran.
03:02I think that's important. The dialogue continues.
03:05However difficult it may be, the dialogue continues.
03:09And, you know, I don't know about military decisions taken by nations.
03:13What I can say is that it will clearly be helpful if we can clear this situation
03:20from the list of potentially dangerous situations that may lead to situations like the ones we lived last year.
03:29So, clearly, this is an open question and we need to provide answers to that.
03:36The sooner the better, yeah.
03:37Is it your sense that Iranian authorities want to go down that route?
03:43They're open to those negotiations with you and that they're open to allowing further inspection?
03:48I think so.
03:49But there's always the small letter.
03:54There are sometimes conditions.
03:56There are sometimes expectations that they may have.
04:00And don't forget that as a background to what I may be doing with Iran,
04:05there have been some bilateral consultations with the United States, which are very important.
04:10We encourage that, of course.
04:11But there is a mutual implication on these two processes, which are parallel.
04:20They do not touch each other.
04:22But there is a reciprocal influence, if I can put it like that.
04:26Do you see this as a precarious moment right now in Iran?
04:28It's very fragile.
04:30So, I think we need to fix it as soon as possible.
04:32OK, a slight change of tact.
04:34You've thrown your hat into the ring to become the next UN security general.
04:39What is it you think that the UN can help solve right now?
04:44Because it's coming at a time where there has been a loss of faith and loss of trust in multilateral institutions,
04:49specifically the UN.
04:50Indeed, particularly.
04:51It's when the going gets rough that one has to take certain decisions and try to make a contribution.
04:57The work we have been doing at the IEA, what we have been discussing about Iran, the Middle East, Syria, other places,
05:05what we have been doing in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine in the nuclear facilities,
05:13has shown me that there is a possibility, that there is a contribution that can be made from a multilateral platform.
05:21We see that there is a vacancy there.
05:24Peace and security was the reason why the United Nations were created 80 years ago.
05:31And now there is an absence.
05:33And, of course, in the presence of an absence, other ideas come up.
05:38Yeah.
05:38What are the most pressing reforms that need to be done there?
05:41I think this is not only about the UN proper.
05:45The UN needs to reform.
05:47The UN needs to right size.
05:48There are many things that can be said.
05:50At the same time, we need a new deal between the United Nations, in particular the Secretary General,
05:56and member states about what we need, what we have to have in terms of a credible, really, truly global, international institution like the UN.
06:06The UN needs to be done.
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