No damage was seen at Iran‘s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or the Khondab heavy water reactor under construction, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Saturday amid Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency added that no further damage had been observed at the Natanz, the site of one of the nuclear targets struck on Friday by Israeli forces.
Earlier, the IAEA said that Iran’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority had informed it of no change in off-site radiation levels in Isfahan, another nuclear site targeted by Israel in an air offensive against its old enemy.
The IAEA also said that four critical buildings at the Isfahan nuclear site had been damaged, including a uranium conversion facility and a fuel plate fabrication plant.
“As in Natanz, no increase in off-site radiation expected,” the agency said in a post on X.
Israeli Strikes
Overnight from Thursday into Friday, Israeli military strikes targeted nuclear facilities across Iran, including the Natanz enrichment site.
According to reports, Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as several prominent nuclear scientists, were among those killed.
Justifying Israel’s strikes on Iran, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said he had acted to pre-empt a secret Iranian programme to build a nuclear bomb.
IAEA Appeal
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Saturday his agency was in constant contact with the Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to assess the status of affected facilities and determine broader impacts on nuclear safety and security.
He stressed that nuclear sites must never be targeted – under any circumstances.
“Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear security, nuclear safety and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security,” Grossi said.
He stands ready to travel to the region at the earliest opportunity, he added, to assess the situation and support safety, security and non-proliferation efforts in Iran.
“It is clear that the only sustainable path forward for Iran, for Israel, the entire region and the international community is one grounded in dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace, stability and cooperation.”
Grossi concluded by offering the IAEA as a neutral platform where “facts prevail over rhetoric” and where technical engagement replaced escalation.
“I reaffirm my personal and the agency’s readiness to facilitate dialogue and support efforts that promote transparency, security and the peaceful resolution of nuclear issues in Iran.”
(With inputs from Reuters and IBNS)
