The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, has contradicted US President Donald Trump’s claim that several countries, including Pakistan, had resumed underground nuclear testing.
Grossi described Trump’s remarks as “political views” and said there was no evidence to support claims of renewed nuclear tests, an NDTV report said.
‘No Nuclear Test Proper’: IAEA
“There is no record of inspections. I don’t know. I think in general, political statements do happen, sometimes in response to other statements. So we do not, of course, base our activity on the basis of that. There hasn’t been any nuclear test proper,” Grossi said.
“What we have seen is testing and operation of means of delivery, which is a different thing from nuclear weapons, as you know,” he added.
Monitoring Systems Show No Explosions
Trump had said in November that Pakistan, along with Iran, China, Russia and North Korea, was actively testing nuclear weapons.
Responding to those claims, Grossi pointed to international monitoring mechanisms. “There is something which is called the International Monitoring System, which is administered by a sister organisation, the Organisation for the Comprehensive Test and Treaty, located in Vienna. And there hasn’t been any record of nuclear explosions in this regard,” he said.
Grossi added that such statements reflect broader geopolitical tensions. “As I said, these things are part of political statements and also a reflection of the existing geopolitical tensions in our world,” he said.
No Nuclear Role In 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict
Grossi also said there was no indication of nuclear weapons being involved during the India-Pakistan conflict in 2025.
When asked about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and whether any movement had been detected, he said: “There was no indication of any involvement of nuclear weapons in this conflict, which was, of course, of a conventional nature.”
Background: Operation Sindoor
The conflict followed the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed.
India responded with Operation Sindoor, carrying out cross-border strikes targeting nine terror-related sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
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