US: New Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder holds first briefing as IAEA mission heads to ZNPP

The new Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder held his first press briefing as military spokesperson Wednesday as United Nations inspectors made their way toward Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

At the Pentagon on Wednesday, Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters, "We certainly welcome, first and foremost the IAEA's presence in the region."

He added: "I do not know whether or not they have embarked for or arrived at the plant yet. And in terms of the fighting in the region, again, to the best of our knowledge, we do continue to see sporadic shelling in the region. And we call on all sides to ensure the safety of the power plant for obvious reasons, and would also call on Russia to enable the IAEA team to be able to get in there and do their work."

Theirs is a long-anticipated mission that the world hopes will help secure the Russian-held facility in the middle of a war zone and avoid catastrophe.

Underscoring the danger, Kyiv and Moscow again accused each other on Wednesday of attacking the area around Europe's biggest nuclear plant.

In recent days, the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of fire damage to a transmission line.

That heightened fears that fighting could lead to a massive radiation leak or even a reactor meltdown.

The risks are so severe that officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents.

Ryder was asked to respond to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seizing of an American sea drone in the Persian Gulf and trying to tow it away, only to release the unmanned vessel when a U.S. Navy warship and helicopter approached.

"Fifth Fleet has it well in hand in terms of patrolling the waterways there and maintaining, you know, situational awareness in terms of their capabilities and assets in the region. And again, as was evidenced by the USS Thunderbolt, the ability to respond quickly should something like that happen again in the future, which hopefully it will not," Ryder said.

It was the first time Iran targeted the Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet's new drone task force.

While the interception ended without incident, tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran as negotiations over the Islamic Republic's tattered nuclear deal with world powers hang in the balance.

The Guard's Shahid Baziar warship attached a line to the Saildrone Explorer in the center of the Persian Gulf in international waters late Monday night, said Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a 5th Fleet spokesman. The vessel then began towing the Saildrone Explorer, which carries cameras, radars and sensors for remotely monitoring the sea, Hawkins said.

The USS Thunderbolt, a Navy coastal patrol boat, as well as an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter, moved to shadow the Guard's ship. The Navy called the Shahid Baziar by radio to identify the drone as American, Hawkins said.

"This is not the first time they've done these kinds of things. And so, again, it just showcases the challenge that Iran presents in terms of the threat to the region, Ryder said.

U.S. Army Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, who leads the military's Central Command, praised the Thunderbolt's crew for its response.

Ryder opened Wednesdays briefing reporting Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's announcement, that at President Joe Biden's direction, the thousands who served in the retrograde operation from Afghanistan -- Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome  "will be awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation."

Image: DoD