IAEA chief says no further damage at Iranian enrichment facilities
VIENNA, June 16 (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi provided an update on Monday on the situation at Iran's nuclear facilities after Israel launched military strikes and said there was no sign of further damage at the Natanz or Fordow enrichment sites.
Grossi and the International Atomic Energy Agency he heads had previously reported that the smallest of Iran's three enrichment plants, an above-ground pilot plant at the sprawling Natanz nuclear complex, had been destroyed.
While there was no sign of a physical attack on the bigger underground enrichment plant at Natanz, its power supply was destroyed, which may have damaged the uranium-enriching centrifuges there. No damage was seen at the Fordow plant dug into a mountain.
"There has been no additional damage at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant site since the Friday attack, which destroyed the above-ground part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant," Grossi said in a statement to an exceptional meeting of his agency's 35-nation Board of Governors.
Having said over the weekend that Israeli strikes damaged four buildings at the Isfahan nuclear facilities including the uranium conversion facility that processes "yellowcake" uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so it can be enriched, he elaborated on the damage there.
"At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in Friday's attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) to EU metal processing facility, which was under construction," he said.
"The (International Atomic Energy) Agency is and will remain present in Iran. Safeguards inspections in Iran will continue as soon as safety conditions allow, as is required under Iran's NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) safeguards obligations," he added.
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The Independent
40 minutes ago
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A look at sites Israel has hit in Iran and how Iran has responded
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BBC News
43 minutes ago
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Where is Israel's operation heading?
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But Hanegbi added a coda – "but the concept of 'at the moment' is valid for a limited time."In the end, the contours of this endgame will be shaped by the course of a perilous and unpredictable confrontation, and an unpredictable US President."Success or failure is overwhelmingly being defined by whether the US can be dragged in," assesses Daniel Levy, President of the U.S. Middle East project and former Israeli government advisor. "Only the US can bring this to a timely end-point in the near future by determining outcomes and stop points."Top picture credits: Anadolu via Getty, ATEF SAFADI/EPA - EFE/REX/Shutterstock BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Iran nuclear: No further damage seen at Iran sites, nuclear watchdog says
The head of the global nuclear watchdog says there has been no further damage to Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant since Israel struck the country's nuclear sites on Grossi told the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board of governors that an above-ground enrichment facility at Natanz was destroyed, but that there were no signs of a physical attack at the underground facility buildings were also damaged at the Isfahan site, he said, including a uranium conversion plant, and no damage was visible at the underground Fordo enrichment said it attacked the sites and killed nine nuclear scientists to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons. It alleged that Iran had in recent months "taken steps to weaponize" its stockpile of enriched uranium, which can be used to make fuel for power plants but also nuclear Sunday, Iran reiterated that its nuclear programme was peaceful and urged IAEA's 35-nation board to strongly condemn the Israeli updates: Israeli strikes reported in Iranian capital as IDF warns people in parts of Tehran to evacuate'Nowhere feels safe': Iranians on life under Israeli attacksSatellite images show damage to Iran missile sites'They're weak': Israelis back conflict with Iran in neighbourhood struck by missileGrossi briefed the board on Monday that the IAEA had been monitoring the situation in Iran very carefully, ascertaining the status of the country's nuclear facilities and assessing radiation levels through communication with local said Friday's attack on Natanz destroyed the above-ground part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), where cascades of centrifuge were producing uranium enriched up to 60% purity - close to the 90% required for weapons-grade uraniumElectricity infrastructure at Natanz, which included an electrical sub-station, a power supply building, and emergency generators, were also destroyed."There has been no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the PFEP and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. However, the loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there," Grossi also said there was radiological and chemical contamination at the site, but that the level of radioactivity outside had remained unchanged and at normal Israeli military said on Friday that the underground centrifuge hall was also damaged as part of the attack on Natanz, but it provided no evidence. The IAEA chief said four buildings were damaged in a separate attack on Friday on the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre - the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and a facility to convert uranium hexafluoride to uranium metal, which was under at Natanz, off-site radiation levels remain unchanged, he Israeli military said on Friday that the Isfahan strike "dismantled a facility for producing metallic uranium, infrastructure for reconverting enriched uranium, laboratories, and additional infrastructure". On Saturday, Iran's semi-official Isna news agency quoted spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) as saying there was "limited damage to some areas at the Fordo enrichment site" following an Israeli attack. However, the Israeli military has not confirmed carrying out any strikes said no damage had been seen at Fordo, or at the Khondab heavy water reactor, which is under urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, warning that military escalation threatened lives and increased the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told foreign diplomats in Tehran on Saturday that Israel's attacks on his country's nuclear facilities were a "blatant violation of international law", and that he hoped the IAEA's board would issue a strong also said that Iran's missile strikes on Israel since Friday were a "response to aggression".The Israeli military's spokesperson, Brig Gen Effie Defrin said on Monday that its large-scale air campaign would "continue to act in pursuit of the operation's objective, to neutralize the existential threat from Iran, from its nuclear project to the regime's missile array".Iran's health ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 220 people since Friday. Twenty-four Israelis have been killed by Iranian missiles, according to Israeli Thursday, the IAEA's board formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. A resolution said Iran's "many failures" to provide the agency with full answers about its undeclared nuclear material and nuclear activities constituted a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran was not permitted to enrich uranium above 3.67% purity - the level required for fuel for commercial nuclear power plants - and was not allowed to carry out any enrichment at Fordo for 15 US President Donald Trump abandoned the agreement during his first term in 2018, saying it did too little to stop a pathway to a bomb, and reinstated US retaliated by increasingly breaching the restrictions - particularly those relating to enrichment. It resumed enrichment at Fordo in 2021 and has amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium to potentially make nine nuclear bombs, according to the IAEA.
