Speaking to The National during a visit to London for a UN hustings, Grossi said he hopes his work mediating on nuclear issues with warring parties, including the Iranian and US governments, as well as Russian and Ukrainian leaders in the Zaporizhzhia crisis, will help restore faith in the UN’s ability as a peacemaker.
“I would hope that with the extensive background I have in the Middle East, we could put that experience to good use in order to give the process the comprehensiveness it needs,” he said.
Grossi said he was confident he could restore the agency’s relations with Iran after Tehran blamed him for giving the Israeli regime an excuse to attack its peaceful nuclear facilities last year.
“I am sure we will get there. There is a minimal dialogue and exchange that we have, but it's very limited at the moment,” he said. “Their view is that while the conflict is ongoing, the time is not ripe for a resumption of full co-operation.”
Grossi, who is standing for election as the UN’s next secretary general, also criticized the organization’s “absence” in global conflicts, including the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.
“The issue with a review process is that it is an easy prey to regional crisis. Traditionally, it was the Middle East, but then last time it was the war in Ukraine, and now it's attacks on nuclear power plants,” he said.
“The value of the NPT is what the NPT has given us, which we should not take for granted. There are dangers and challenges on the NPT right now,” he added.