UN nuclear watchdog warns of risk after strikes near Iran’s Bushehr plant

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has voiced alarm over reported military activity near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, warning of potentially severe consequences if the facility is damaged.

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said strikes “reportedly” took place near the plant on Tuesday evening, March 24, as per US media reports.

Because Bushehr is an operational nuclear power facility containing “a large amount of nuclear material,” Grossi warned that any damage could trigger “a major radiological accident affecting a large area in Iran and beyond.”

He called for “maximum restraint” to reduce the risk of escalation and stressed the need to uphold what the IAEA defines as the “seven pillars” of nuclear safety and security during armed conflict.

Earlier, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said a projectile struck the grounds of the Bushehr nuclear plant late Tuesday local time. The agency described the incident as a “renewed attack” by the “American–Israeli enemy.”

By Tamilla Hasanova