Yukiya Amano, head of UN's nuclear watchdog who was extensively involved in negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, dies at the age of 72
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano addresses a news conference during a board of governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 11, 2017.
Amano took over from Egypt's Mohamed El Baradei in 2009. His third term as IAEA chief had originally been due to expire in November 2021, but he had been expected to announce his intention to step down early because of undisclosed health reasons.The IAEA said its flag over its headquarters in Vienna had been lowered to half-mast.
In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he "always admired his wisdom and foresight — his ability to make informed decisions in the most difficult circumstances."The IAEA, which is tasked with monitoring Iran's nuclear activities to ensure they abide by the terms of the 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, will now have to find Amano's successor as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalate ever higher.
Against this backdrop of brinkmanship, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confiscated a UK-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, two weeks after British authorities seized an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar.The agency has 171 member states in all and plays a key role in the fight against nuclear proliferation, by verifying that signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons abide by their commitments.
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