UN nuclear watchdog to appoint new chief in October

The UN’s nuclear watchdog plans to appoint a new director-general in October, shortening its selection process amid tensions between Iran and the West, Reuters reports. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano died last month.

Last week, the 35-nation board of governors appointed Romanian diplomat Cornel Feruta to head the agency temporarily. Applications for the permanent post must be in by September 5, the IAEA said on Thursday. The board expects to appoint a director-general in October 2019 and “envisages that the person appointed will assume office no later than 1 January 2020,” according to the nuclear watchdog.

The 171-nation, Vienna-based agency normally needs several months to agree on a candidate. Russia’s diplomatic mission to international organizations tweeted that the modified procedure reflected “extraordinary circumstances and should not be considered a precedent.”

The fate of the 2015 deal, overseen by the UN body, has been unclear since last year when President Donald Trump exited the agreement and re-imposed US sanctions on Iran.