Mikhail Ulyanov: Rescuing Iran nuclear talks

The Interview

BBC

News, Government, Politics

4.3 • 537 Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2026

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“It’s outrageous because these nuclear plant facilities were certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency as purely peaceful facilities. The inspectors, they spent, there, a lot of time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Iran is the most verifiable country, thousands of inspections. The agency knows everything about what is going on.” BBC journalist Farnaz Ghazizadeh speaks to Mikhail Ivanovich Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, about the collapse of diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme and whether negotiations can still be rescued. With decades of experience in disarmament and nuclear negotiations, Ulyanov insists Iran’s nuclear programme is already among the most heavily monitored in the world, and argues concerns over the programme have been exaggerated. Now, as conflict in the region intensifies, Russia is offering to act as a mediator. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, and Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Farnaz Ghazizadeh Producers: Osman Iqbal Editor: Damon Rose and Justine Lang Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Mikhail Ulyanov. Credit: Reuters)

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.
0:06.0	Hello, I am BBC presenter Farnas Ghazizade, and this is the interview from the BBC
0:11.5	World Service, the best conversations coming out of the BBC, people shaping our world from all over the world.
0:20.0	If you're not a little bit afraid, then you're not paying attention.
0:25.1	We have never seen a people so united.
0:28.6	Do not make that boat crossing. Do not make that journey.
0:31.3	Being born in America, feeling American, having people treat me like I'm not.
0:35.4	We're more popular than populism.
0:40.1	For this interview, I spoke to Mikhail Ivanovich Olianov,
0:44.7	Russia's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
0:49.7	He spent decades working on arms control, disarmament, and nuclear diplomacy. Now, as talks over Iran's
0:57.2	nuclear program have broken down and conflict in the region has intensified, Russia is offering
1:04.2	to help revive negotiations. Olyanov says Iran would welcome Russia as a mediator, but claims Washington does not want Moscow
1:13.8	involved in the process. What can the role of Russia be in this situation? Russia has already
1:20.4	said that it wants to be the mediator? Yes, our president made it clear that Russia would be ready to mediate, but for this to happen,
1:31.3	we need consent of two sides.
1:34.3	Irrevious, to my mind, would be happy to see Russia as an enduciate, as a mediator.
1:40.3	Americans, they said publicly, President Trump said, we don't need any mediators, we will do everything ourselves.
1:49.0	Of course, if we are involved in the process, we will not play a role of a postman.
1:56.0	We will try to help both sides to find common language.
2:01.7	Theoretically, I don't know this situation is very complicated, but of course we would
2:07.8	be ready to help the two sides to find mutually acceptable solutions.
	...

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