Overview
- The IAEA said Sunday that satellite analysis shows Iran’s Khondab heavy water plant, struck Friday, is severely damaged, offline, and poses no radiation risk.
- The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out the strike and also hit a uranium extraction facility near Yazd/Ardakan in the same operation.
- The agency noted the Khondab installation contained no declared nuclear material and urged “maximum military restraint” after reports of military activity near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which Iran said is operating normally.
- Heavy water is used to run certain reactors that can produce plutonium as a byproduct, and although the Arak reactor was reworked under the 2015 deal, Israel argues attempts to restore its original capabilities remained a concern.
- IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has suffered “enormous damage” in recent U.S.-Israeli strikes, yet key facilities, stockpiles, and expertise persist, highlighting the limits of airstrikes to erase nuclear know-how.