Profile: IAEA, the nuclear watchdog

Seen as a reserved technocrat, he acknowledged that he was assuming leadership of the organisation at a “stormy” time – with the relationship between the IAEA and Iran having just reached a new low – and pledged to seek to defuse tensions.

However, Mr Amano’s first report on Iran, published in February 2010, broke with the more cautious style of his predecessor and for the first time raised concerns that Tehran could be seeking to produce a nuclear warhead for a missile.

He died in July 2019, and the IAEA has yet to appoint a successor.

The director-general is assisted by six deputy directors-general. He heads the Secretariat, which is responsible for implementing IAEA programmes.

A 35-member Board of Governors formulates the agency’s policies. All IAEA members are part of the General Conference, which meets every year to discuss agency activities and its budget.