Vienna, Austria: Rising nuclear stockpiles worldwide do not yet amount to a Cold War-style arms race, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
Grossi made the remarks in an interview with Swiss newspaper Le Temps. He said he did not believe the world faced a nuclear arms race like the early 1980s.
The IAEA chief warned that several countries were expanding nuclear arsenals. He said some states were also reconsidering long-standing positions on nuclear weapons.
Grossi said the trend reflected growing strategic uncertainty and changing security calculations among nuclear and non-nuclear states.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is a United Nations-linked nuclear watchdog based in Vienna. It monitors nuclear material and supports non-proliferation safeguards.
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Grossi said the developments increased the urgency of strengthening international non-proliferation frameworks. He also said prospects for meaningful nuclear disarmament remained remote under current geopolitical conditions.
His comments came as governments review arms control arrangements and nuclear modernisation programmes.
