Tero Varjoranta (born January 15, 1957) is a Finnish

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

who started working as Deputy Director General of the

IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

and Head of the agency's Inspection and Supervision Department. He suddenly

resigned Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

from his position on May 11, 2018.

Biography

Tero Varjoranta was born on January 15, 1957, in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. He graduated in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

from

Helsinki University The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Tsar Al ...

.Tero Varjoranta
/ref>

Career

Tero Varjoranta is a Finnish with 30 years of experience in

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

energy. He has served as Director of Nuclear Recycle and Safety in Finland for many years. Tero Varjoranta since 1 October 2013, served as Deputy Director General of IAEA, Head of the Department of Safeguards and Director of

Inspectors who verify countries’ compliance with the prohibition of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. He was the Director General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, STUK, in Finland. Between 2010 and 2012, Varjoranta served as a Director in the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy, having previously worked as Division Manager in the International Science and Technology Centre in Moscow. Tero has served as President of ESARDA, President of the European Nuclear Security Regulators Group (ENSREG) and as a member of SAGSI for seven years. As Director of IAEA inspectors, Tero Varjoranta traveled to Iran in recent years on several occasions. Two months after the JCPOA was signed, he accompanied

Yukiya Amano was a Japanese diplomat, who served as the Director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1 December 2009 until his death on 18 July 2019. Previously, Amano served as an international civil servant for the United Nations ...

Director General of IAEA during his visit to Parchin Area in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

in September 2015. During the visit, the inspectors took samples from Parchin Area to announce the results later on.

Resignation

The IAEA spokesman said: “Mr. Tero Varjoranta resigned as of May 11.” The IAEA Director General has not commented on Mr. Tero Varjoranta's

resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

and considered it confidential, said the spokesman.

Reuters News Agency Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

wrote: “The departure of Tero Varjoranta comes at a sensitive time, three days after the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

announced it was quitting world powers’ nuclear accord with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

.”

Replacement

Following the

of Tero Varjoranta on May 11, 2018, the IAEA Director General assigned Massimo Aparo temporary director and supervisor of the department for monitoring Iran as his successor. Aparo has served as head of Iran team in the above department since 2016.Acting Head of the Department of Safeguards
/ref> The IAEA spokesman said the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano intends to assign a permanent successor for this position.

References

External links