Iran’s envoy to the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday that Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was bombed during recent US and Israeli military operations. “Yesterday they attacked Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities that are subject to safeguards,” Reza Najafi told reporters at a meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors.
When asked about the sites that were bombed, he replied: “Natanz,” Reuters reported.
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This development comes amid escalating tensions over the Iranian nuclear program. In June, the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities that Washington says are part of a program aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Tehran insists that its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes.Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran will rebuild its nuclear infrastructure.
“Destroying buildings and factories will not create a problem for us, we will rebuild and with greater strength,” he told state media during a visit to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, adding that the country is not seeking nuclear weapons.“The whole goal is to solve people’s problems, diseases, people’s health,” Pezeshkian said, referring to Iran’s nuclear activities.US President Donald Trump has warned that he will order new attacks on Iranian nuclear sites if Tehran tries to restart facilities bombed in June.
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed concern about the situation, warning that “the possibility of a radiological release cannot be ruled out,” according to ANI.Speaking during a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, Grossi said: “Let me emphasize that the situation today is very worrying. We cannot rule out a possible radiation leak with serious consequences, including the necessity of evacuating areas as large or larger than major cities.”He added that the agency has “extensive knowledge of the nature and location of nuclear and radioactive materials in the region” and is ready to provide assistance in the event of an attack or accident that causes a radioactive release. Grossi also noted that several countries in West Asia operate nuclear power plants or research reactors, raising risks amid military escalation, and urged “maximum restraint in all military operations.”
