Raising concerns about nuclear proliferation and legal issues over nuclear fuel disposal
The Guardian Pays Attention to Countries Promoting Nuclear Submarine Acquisition, including South Korea and Canada
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed concern that Australia’s move to acquire nuclear submarines through the AUCUS agreement could set a precedent for other countries that want to have nuclear submarines.
Orcus is a new trilateral security partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia that will allow Australia to secure nuclear submarines with US support without being a nuclear power.
According to the British Daily Guardian on the 19th (local time), IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grosi said in Washington on the 19th (local time) that “Other countries who have seen this case may try to follow Australia to acquire nuclear submarines, and as a result, serious nuclear weapons.” It can cause proliferation and legal problems,” he said.
Grossi said that he had dispatched a team of experts to determine whether there are any safety and legal issues in this case.
If the Orcus plan goes as planned, it will be the first non-nuclear state to get a nuclear-powered submarine.
The issue exposes the ambiguity of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which stipulated that fissile material could be provided to non-nuclear states for peaceful purposes under IAEA safeguards, The Guardian noted.
The IAEA does not yet have procedures in place to ensure that nuclear fuel segregated under the agency’s oversight is not diverted into nuclear weapons.
Grossi told reporters, “There must be a clear agreement between the parties that the transfer of technology or nuclear material will be done under our management and supervision.
“There is no precedent, but now we have to make things very clear, and this is a very necessary step,” he added.
“It is possible that other countries may use the Orcus precedent to advance their nuclear submarine program,” Grosi said.
The Guardian also reported that South Korea and Canada have been considering building nuclear submarines.
Nuclear submarines can submerge quietly for longer than conventional submarines.
“When Iran announced its plans for its naval nuclear propulsion program in 2018, it said that the nuclear facilities would not be associated with the program for the first five years,” Grosi said.
However, at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York last month, the Iranian side pointed to Orcus as a precedent for promoting its nuclear submarine program.
“The United States and the United Kingdom have a responsibility to ensure that the transfer of nuclear material and technology to Australia does not pose a proliferation risk under the Oakus Agreement,” he said. there,” he said.
“I think Secretary Blincoln is well aware of the repercussions of this issue,” he said.
“We have already created a task force of highly specialized investigators and legal experts to look into this matter,” he said.
/yunhap news
