Grossi at the UN Helm: Why He’s a Risky Successor to Guterres?
webangah news Agency: In recent months, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has increasingly been discussed in diplomatic circles as a potential candidate to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General.
Unlike speculative media analyses, Grossi’s candidacy is supported by repeated direct statements indicating his active consideration of entering the high-stakes political race for the world’s top international post. The first public signal emerged in May 2023 during an interview with The Telegraph, where Grossi acknowledged: “My name has been floated for Secretary-General, and it has given me pause.” While he emphasized focusing on his IAEA role at the time,observers interpreted this as strategic positioning to gauge reactions.
The Argentine diplomat doubled down in April 2024 during a Washington interview,stating: “I’m thinking very,very seriously about it. the time will come to engage.” Weeks later, he told Russia’s TASS agency that his professional record would serve as his campaign platform-a remark widely seen as leveraging his technical-diplomatic credentials for higher political office.
A Pattern of Partiality: Iran as Political Leverage?
Critics argue Grossi’s recent conduct reveals calculated diplomatic ambition. His disproportionate focus on Iran-adopting overtly political rhetoric atypical for a technical official-has raised suspicions of courting Western powers to position himself as a decisive actor aligned with liberal global order interests.
“Peaceful Nuclear Program”: Grossi’s Diplomatic Achilles’ Heel
The IAEA chief has repeatedly compromised the agency’s mandated neutrality regarding Iran’s nuclear activities. Instead of delivering impartial technical assessments, reports under Grossi have coincided with sensitive Board of Governors meetings or political negotiations-effectively weaponizing them against Tehran. Notably, unverified claims about high-enriched uranium particles in 2023-2024 reports fueled anti-Iran resolutions despite lacking scientific validation. Iranian officials and analysts decried this pattern as “Western-aligned behavior.”
The politicized approach escalated into tangible consequences: Within days of a June 2024 IAEA report criticizing Iran’s cooperation level, Israeli-American strikes targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites. This triggered international backlash against both Grossi and the IAEA’s eroded credibility. Independant outlets like Cradle) accused him of transforming the agency into NATO’s intelligence arm.
The fallout deepened when President Masoud Pezeshkian enacted legislation suspending voluntary cooperation with the IAEA on July 2nd following parliamentary approval-a direct response to perceived institutional bias under grossis leadership . Non-aligned states particularly across Latin America And Africa now view grossis tenure through lens Of western proxy rather than neutral arbiter .
Why grossis trajectory contradicts un secretary general requirements ?
While grossis nuclear diplomacy experience superficially qualifies him , comparison To guterres exposes critical gaps : unlike The current SG who previously served As portuguese PM And unhcr commissioner , grossis lacks executive governance Or humanitarian crisis management experience -essential For leading An association Addressing climate change Migration conflicts etcetera .
Moreover voting dynamics severely disadvantage him : developing nations comprising g77 bloc remain skeptical after His handling Of iran dossier And silence On israels opaque nuclear program -fatal For securing implicit security council consensus required For election success .
Ultimately while technically proficient grossis politicized record renders Him ill suited For SGS moral leadership demands where neutrality ethical capital And multilateral trust outweigh technocratic specialization . His aspirations though unmistakable now appear increasingly quixotic amidst mounting institutional distrust .
}
