U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Delivers U.S. National Statement at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria

VIENNA, AUSTRIA— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today delivered the U.S. National Statement at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.

Secretary Wright’s full remarks from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference are below:

I am honored to represent the United States of America at the 69th IAEA General Conference. I want to thank Director General Grossi and the Secretariat for your leadership. The United States welcomes the Republic of Maldives as the newest member of the IAEA. As both a lifelong energy entrepreneur and now the U.S. Secretary of Energy, I am uniquely aware of the transformative power of energy, its ability to lift billions out of poverty, drive economic growth and expand opportunity across the globe.

I am also acutely aware of the challenge our world faces today in meeting rising demand for affordable, reliable and secure energy—particularly the need for baseload electric power to drive rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence. AI is rapidly emerging as the next highly energy-intensive manufacturing industry. AI manufactures intelligence out of electricity. The nations that lead in this space will also lead transformative progress in technology, healthcare, national security and innovation across the board. The energy required to power this revolution is immense—and progress will be accelerated by rapidly unlocking and deploying commercial nuclear power.

The world needs more energy to meet the AI challenge and drive human progress—and the United States is boldly leading the way. With President Trump’s leadership, we are advancing American energy policies that accelerate growth, prioritize safety and enhance global security.

Earlier this year, President Trump issued four Executive Orders aimed at reinvigorating America’s nuclear energy industry by modernizing regulation, streamlining reactor testing, deploying reactors for national security, and reinvigorating the nuclear industrial base. As part of these Executive Orders, we established an expedited pathway to approve advanced reactors, set standards to evaluate new construction licenses within 18 months, and designated AI data centers as critical defense facilities to enable advanced nuclear reactor deployments. These efforts support President Trump’s goal of adding 300 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity at home by 2050.

The United States is committed to supporting the deployment of Small Modular Reactors. With their streamlined design and modular manufacture, enhanced safety features, and more accessible financing, SMRs provide a great opportunity for our partner nations to deploy affordable baseload power to the grid and increase the supply of process heat that is central to manufacturing. The United States, through the Department of Energy, stands ready to engage at every stage of nuclear program development to deliver the most advanced and innovative civil nuclear technology solutions.

Abroad, we are also working with our allies to advance new Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreements, or 123 Agreements. Since the last General Conference, the United States has successfully brought into force new 123 Agreements with Thailand and Singapore.

We are also actively negotiating intergovernmental agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, or IGAs. Inaugurated during President Trump’s first term with Poland, the Department of Energy now has four such IGAs in place and is pursuing more as part of the president’s Executive Orders. IGAs can focus on large builds or SMR deployments to enhance the energy security of our partners. Through these agreements, the United States will continue to support the integration of nuclear safeguards, U.S. nuclear safety culture, and security into countries’ national legal and regulatory frameworks.

As we rapidly accelerate the development of nuclear energy in the U.S. and around the world, we will take no shortcuts on safety. We will not accept anything less than fully safe nuclear design and operation. America’s commitment to peaceful nuclear power is unwavering—and this commitment is underpinned by an equally robust commitment to nonproliferation.

We believe that a strong approach to nonproliferation is good business. We want the world to know that when you engage in civil nuclear cooperation with the United States, you are getting U.S. technology that meets first-class nonproliferation standards and U.S. nuclear safety culture. U.S. Government leadership in this area is imperative in shaping the future of commercial nuclear energy.

We resolutely support the IAEA’s independence and technical credibility in its mission to promote the safe, secure, and peaceful uses of nuclear technology and we will continue to work across the IAEA to advance these efforts.

America's nuclear leadership requires the strongest possible safety and security foundation, and we commend the IAEA for its assistance in advancing these priorities worldwide. As part of that important mission, we deeply appreciate the IAEA's efforts to maintain nuclear safety and security in Ukraine—a precarious challenge to which the Agency has risen to prevent a nuclear incident, and will remain steadfast in this endeavor.

The United States strongly supports the IAEA's safeguards system as a cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. We remain committed to strengthening this system to detect and deter nuclear proliferation while driving universal adoption of the elements in IAEA Additional Protocol.

Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran's continued violations of its safeguards obligations represent the most serious threat to the international nonproliferation regime. Iran's persistent lack of transparency with the IAEA—and particularly Iran’s nuclear escalations—are unacceptable.

If it wasn’t already clear enough, I will restate the United States’ position on Iran. Iran’s nuclear weapons pathway, including all enrichment and reprocessing capabilities, must be completely dismantled. Iran must cooperate fully with the IAEA, abide by its safeguards obligations, and provide the IAEA with unhindered access to all sites of concern. Then, and only then, we would look forward to working with Iran to rejoin the world in global trade, bringing opportunity and prosperity to the Iranian people.

The United States is committed to working with the IAEA and Member States to promote peaceful nuclear technology with the highest standards of safety and security.

Together, we can build a future defined by partnership and peace—fueled by the awesome power of the atom.

Thank you.