'It was a mistake': Israel confirms strikes on Natanz, Isfahan, Arak — but not Bushehr
JERUSALEM, June 19 — An Israeli military official said today that 'it was a mistake' for a military spokesperson to have said earlier in the day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran.
The official would only confirm that Israel had hit the Natanz, Isfahan and Arak nuclear sites in Iran.
Pressed further on Bushehr, the official said he could neither confirm or deny that Israel had struck the location, where Iran has a reactor.
The potential consequences of an attack on the plant — contaminating the air and water — have long been a concern in the Gulf states.
Qatar's prime minister, in March, warned that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would 'entirely contaminate' the waters of the Gulf and threaten life in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned that an attack on Iran's nuclear sites would leave the Gulf with 'no water, no fish, nothing... no life'.
Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait, facing Iran on the opposite side of the Gulf, have minimal natural water reserves and are home to more than 18 million people whose only supply of potable water is desalinated water drawn from the Gulf.
Bushehr is Iran's only operating nuclear power plant, which sits on the Gulf coast, and uses Russian fuel that Russia then takes back when it is spent to reduce proliferation risk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said that Moscow had agreed with Israeli leaders that the safety of Russian workers at the site would be guaranteed.
'Our specialists are on site. This is more than two hundred people. And we agreed with the leadership of Israel that their safety will be ensured,' Putin told journalists.
The Russian embassy in Iran said in a statement earlier today that Bushehr was operating normally and that it did not see any security threats.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that contamination from any attack on Bushehr was the worst case Gulf countries were preparing for. The source stated that Gulf countries, in cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, had prepared a contingency plan for any attack on any nuclear plant in the region. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Russia warns US against ‘military intervention' in Iran-Israel war
MOSCOW: Russia's foreign ministry on Thursday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran, amid speculation over whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel. Moscow issued its warning after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a phone call condemned Israeli attacks on Iran and urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran last week, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks. US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel's strikes. 'I may do it, I may not do it,' he said. Russian foreign ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: 'We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation.' Any US military action 'would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences', she added. Earlier on Thursday, following the leaders' call, the Kremlin said Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions'. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities 'should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means'. - 'Mediate your own' - Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the 'top priority' and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported. 'Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,' Xi said, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. 'Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' he added. Putin is pitching himself as a mediator between the warring sides. Russia is close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid its offensive on Ukraine, but also strives for good relations with Israel. Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker. The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken 'in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation', Ushakov said. But Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against the idea of Putin trying to mediate the conflict amid his own Ukraine offensive. 'He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'do me a favour, mediate your own',' Trump told reporters on Wednesday about Putin's efforts. 'Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.'
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Putin, Xi ‘strongly condemn' Israeli strikes on Iran, urge diplomatic solution
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Moscow and Beijing said. Israel has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran that prompted Tehran to respond with its own attacks with missiles and drones. Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions', Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call. He added that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities 'should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means'. Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the 'top priority' and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported. 'Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,' Xi said, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. 'Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' he added. Putin is pitching himself as a mediator between the warring sides. Russia is close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid its offensive on Ukraine, but also strives for good relations with Israel. Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker. The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken 'in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation', Ushakov said. But Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against the idea of Putin trying to mediate the conflict amid his own Ukraine offensive. 'He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'do me a favour, mediate your own',' Trump told reporters on Wednesday about Putin's efforts. 'Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.'
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Putin, Xi ‘strongly condemn' Israeli strikes on Iran
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Moscow and Beijing said. Israel has launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran that prompted Tehran to respond with its own attacks with missiles and drones. Putin and Xi 'strongly condemn Israel's actions', Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call. He added that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities 'should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means'. Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the 'top priority' and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported. 'Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,' Xi said, according to China's state news agency Xinhua. 'Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,' he added. Putin is pitching himself as a mediator between the warring sides. Russia is close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid its offensive on Ukraine, but also strives for good relations with Israel. Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker. The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken 'in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation', Ushakov said. But Western leaders, including US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against the idea of Putin trying to mediate the conflict amid his own Ukraine offensive. 'He actually offered to help mediate, I said: 'do me a favour, mediate your own',' Trump told reporters on Wednesday about Putin's efforts. 'Let's mediate Russia first, okay? I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.'
