IAEA detects damage at Iran's Natanz facility following strikes

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Iran’s underground uranium enrichment halls at the Natanz facility sustained direct impacts during attacks on June 13, raising fresh concerns over the security of the country’s nuclear infrastructure.

In a statement posted on X, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its assessment was based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery, Caliber.Az reports.

While the extent of the damage has not yet been independently verified, the findings mark the most significant confirmation to date that Iran’s sensitive nuclear programme has been directly affected by recent hostilities.

The IAEA added that there had been “no change to report at Esfahan and Fordow,” two other major nuclear sites that have remained under scrutiny amid fears of escalation between Iran and Israel.

The Natanz nuclear facility, located in central Iran, is one of the country's most secure and strategically important uranium enrichment sites.

Buried deep underground, it plays a central role in Iran’s nuclear programme and has previously been the focus of both sabotage and cyberattacks.

The site is monitored by the IAEA under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), although Iran has curtailed inspection access since 2021 following the collapse of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

By Aghakazim Guliyev