Romanian diplomat Cornel Feruta is in the cards to become the general director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog.

He could succeed current chief Yukiya Amano, who plans to step down early, in March of next year, because of an unspecified illness, according to sources quoted by Reuters. Amano, a 72-year-old Japanese diplomat, was reappointed in 2017 to a third four-year term at the helm of the agency.

The IAEA’s responsibilities include policing the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities under Tehran’s 2015 deal with world powers, which the United States quit last year, Reuters mentioned.

“Two likely candidates to succeed Amano are Argentina’s ambassador to the IAEA Rafael Grossi, who had been expected to run against Amano before but chose not to, and Romania’s Cornel Feruta, the IAEA’s chief coordinator and effectively Amano’s chief of staff,” Reuters reported.

(Photo: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Facebook Page)

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