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Mohamed ElBaradei, former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks during the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons at the Austrian Center in Vienna, Austria on June 20, 2022.
(Photo by Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump March to War With Iran Is 'Iraq Redux,' Says Former Head of UN Nuclear Watchdog
"The US is intensifying the drumbeat of war against Iran, with zero explanation of the nonexistent legal authority to use force and zero evidence of an 'imminent threat,'" said Mohamed ElBaradei.
Feb 26, 2026
The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that a US war on Iran would have "horrific costs," a warning that came before American and Iranian officials gathered in Geneva for the latest round of closely watched negotiations.
"The US is intensifying the drumbeat of war against Iran, with zero explanation of the nonexistent legal authority to use force and zero evidence of an 'imminent threat' other than hypothetical scenarios based on possible future intentions," Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as IAEA director-general from 1997 to 2009, wrote in a social media post.
"All wars, including 'wars of choice,' have horrific costs," he added. "That is the reason for the restraints and limitations established by international norms. This is Iraq redux... It seems we never learn."
US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Iran desires and is on the brink of making a nuclear weapon, even after Trump claimed to have "obliterated" the country's nuclear program with airstrikes last year.
Iran has said its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes; the nation's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier this week that Iran would "under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon."
"A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority," said Araghchi.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has assembled a massive fleet of warplanes and aircraft in the Middle East as the US president has threatened to attack Iran, accusing the country of harboring "sinister nuclear ambitions."
But Rafael Grossi, the current head of the IAEA, said last week that the nuclear agency had not seen any evidence that Iran is currently working to develop nuclear weapons capacity.
"On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement," said Grossi.
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The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that a US war on Iran would have "horrific costs," a warning that came before American and Iranian officials gathered in Geneva for the latest round of closely watched negotiations.
"The US is intensifying the drumbeat of war against Iran, with zero explanation of the nonexistent legal authority to use force and zero evidence of an 'imminent threat' other than hypothetical scenarios based on possible future intentions," Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as IAEA director-general from 1997 to 2009, wrote in a social media post.
"All wars, including 'wars of choice,' have horrific costs," he added. "That is the reason for the restraints and limitations established by international norms. This is Iraq redux... It seems we never learn."
US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Iran desires and is on the brink of making a nuclear weapon, even after Trump claimed to have "obliterated" the country's nuclear program with airstrikes last year.
Iran has said its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes; the nation's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier this week that Iran would "under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon."
"A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority," said Araghchi.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has assembled a massive fleet of warplanes and aircraft in the Middle East as the US president has threatened to attack Iran, accusing the country of harboring "sinister nuclear ambitions."
But Rafael Grossi, the current head of the IAEA, said last week that the nuclear agency had not seen any evidence that Iran is currently working to develop nuclear weapons capacity.
"On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement," said Grossi.
The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that a US war on Iran would have "horrific costs," a warning that came before American and Iranian officials gathered in Geneva for the latest round of closely watched negotiations.
"The US is intensifying the drumbeat of war against Iran, with zero explanation of the nonexistent legal authority to use force and zero evidence of an 'imminent threat' other than hypothetical scenarios based on possible future intentions," Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as IAEA director-general from 1997 to 2009, wrote in a social media post.
"All wars, including 'wars of choice,' have horrific costs," he added. "That is the reason for the restraints and limitations established by international norms. This is Iraq redux... It seems we never learn."
US President Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that Iran desires and is on the brink of making a nuclear weapon, even after Trump claimed to have "obliterated" the country's nuclear program with airstrikes last year.
Iran has said its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes; the nation's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said earlier this week that Iran would "under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon."
"A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority," said Araghchi.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has assembled a massive fleet of warplanes and aircraft in the Middle East as the US president has threatened to attack Iran, accusing the country of harboring "sinister nuclear ambitions."
But Rafael Grossi, the current head of the IAEA, said last week that the nuclear agency had not seen any evidence that Iran is currently working to develop nuclear weapons capacity.
"On the contrary, I see, today, a willingness on both sides to reach an agreement," said Grossi.
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