Latest news with #Khondab
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Israeli strikes hit Iranian reactor being built, nearby plant, IAEA says
VIENNA, June 19 (Reuters) - Israeli military strikes hit Iran's Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, a project under construction that had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. Israel has struck several nuclear facilities in Iran. The heavy water reactor as originally designed would have been able to easily produce plutonium that could eventually have been used in a nuclear weapon, though Iran denies seeking such weapons. Under a 2015 deal with major powers, however, the plant was redesigned to reduce the proliferation risk and its core was removed and filled with concrete. Iran had informed the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency the reactor would start operation in 2026. "IAEA has information the Khondab (former Arak) heavy water research reactor, under construction, was hit. It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects," the IAEA said in a post on X. Heavy water reactors use heavy water, also known as deuterium oxide, as a moderator, a material that slows down fast-moving neutrons released during the nuclear fission process that generates heat in the reactor. In its first posting on the attack, the IAEA said it had no information indicating the nearby plant that produces heavy water had been hit. It later issued a statement revising that assessment. "While damage to the nearby Heavy Water Production Plant was initially not visible, it is now assessed that key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit," the IAEA statement said.
Wall Street Journal
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Israel Strikes Iran's Heavy-Water Reactor in Arak
Israel's military said it hit Iran's heavy-water reactor in Arak as well as what it described as a site used for the development of nuclear weapons in the city of Natanz. Arak's heavy-water reactor, which is under construction, is important for spent-fuel reprocessing. Israel's military Wednesday night told people to evacuate the central Iranian cities of Arak and Khondab ahead of the strike.
LBCI
8 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Iran FM to attend OIC meet in Turkey on Saturday, source says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said on Thursday, as war rages between Israel and Iran. The source said a special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on Israel's recent strikes against Iran, including Thursday's attack on the Khondab nuclear site in Arak. Reuters
LBCI
11 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel says it targeted nuclear sites in Iran's Natanz and Arak overnight
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had targeted the Arak nuclear reactor in Iran overnight and struck what it said was a nuclear weapons development site in the area of Natanz. Among its nuclear sites, Iran had a partially built heavy-water research reactor originally called Arak and now Khondab. Iranian media reported on Thursday morning that air defenses were activated in the area of the Khondab nuclear facility, with two projectiles hitting an area close to it. Officials told Iranian state TV that evacuations were made prior to the strikes and that no risks of radiation or casualties were detected. There was no mention of any damage. Natanz, which Israel had previously struck during its six-day-old aerial war with Iran, was the site of a complex at the heart of Iran's nuclear program that included two enrichment plants. The Israeli military added that it targeted the structure of the reactor's core seal in Arak, which it identified as a key component in plutonium production. Khondab hosts a partially-built heavy-water research reactor. Reuters
