Overview
- Iran informed the IAEA that an unidentified projectile struck the Bushehr plant’s premises on March 17, with the agency reporting no injuries, no damage and normal radiation levels as the reactor continues operating.
- Rosatom said the impact was near the metrology service building close to an operating unit, reported no casualties among its staff, and noted about 480 Russian personnel remain as further evacuations are prepared and construction of new reactors is suspended.
- The origin and type of the projectile have not been independently verified, no imagery has been released, and U.S. Central Command has not responded to requests for comment.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi renewed his call for maximum restraint to avoid a nuclear accident, while Russian officials and nuclear experts warned that any strike near an operating reactor carries severe safety risks.
- Rosatom and multiple outlets described this as the first recorded strike on the plant grounds since the latest war began, intensifying concern given Bushehr’s Persian Gulf location and the regional reliance on desalinated water.