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HAMILTON, Canada

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief on Sunday warned that the recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have put the global nuclear non-proliferation regime "on the line," saying no one can currently assess the underground damage at the Fordo facility.

"The nuclear non-proliferation regime that has underpinned international security for more than half a century is on the line," IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said at a UN Security Council emergency session, noting that the latest bombardments by the US caused a "potential widening of the conflict."

"We have a window of opportunity to return to dialogue and diplomacy," he said, warning that "if that window closes, violence and destruction could reach unthinkable levels, and the global non-proliferation regime as we know it could crumble and fall."

He described Iran, Israel, and the broader Middle East as urgently needing peace, saying: "There is a path for diplomacy."

Grossi confirmed that "IAEA inspectors are in Iran, and they must do their job," but stressed that it requires "a cessation of hostilities so that Iran can let the teams into the sites under the necessary safety and security conditions."

He also reported that there are visible craters at the Fordo site caused by what he said is "consistent with statements from the US" about the use of ground-penetrating munitions.

"At this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to assess the underground damage at Fordow," he added.

He warned: "Military escalation threatens lives and delays a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. It also threatens the global non-proliferation regime."

Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, echoed Grossi's concerns and urged Iran "to allow IAEA inspectors access to the sites to conduct damage assessments as soon as safety conditions allow."

"This latest development must be viewed with the utmost seriousness. It marks a dangerous escalation in a conflict that has already devastated many lives in both countries, in a region on the edge. It is a direct threat to international peace and security," Jenca said.

Warning that the latest developments risk the Middle East increasing "further instability and volatility," he said: "The Middle East cannot afford yet another violent conflict where civilians pay the price of military confrontations."

"All parties to the conflict must also comply with the relevant rules of international humanitarian law in the conduct of their military operations," he said, adding that "there is no military solution to this conflict."

"We need diplomacy, and de-escalation and confidence-building now," he added.