Latest news with #UraniumHexafluoride
United News of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Israeli attacks on Iran N sites have caused sharp degradation in Nuclear safety, but no radiological release : IAEA DG
New Delhi, June 21 (UNI) Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security although they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public but there is a danger this could occur, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has warned. 'Nuclear facilities and material must not be shrouded by the fog of war,' the IAEA DG told the UN Security Council, pointing out that the IAEA has been monitoring closely the situation at Iran's nuclear sites since Israel began its attacks. Referring to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, he said this is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack 'could be most serious". 'It is an operating nuclear power plant and as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Countries of the region have reached out directly to me to express their concerns and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear : In case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,' the IAEA DG warned. He said there was an incorrect statement to the media by an Israeli military official that Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant had been attacked. Although the mistake was quickly identified and the statement retracted, the situation underscored the vital need for clear and accurate communication and the Agency's unique role in providing it in a technically accurate and politically impartial way is obvious. Israel said on Friday it had struck Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast, potentially a major escalation in its air war against Iran. Similarly a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor's core to melt which could result in high release of radioactivity to the environment. 'In their worst-case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometers. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometers and food restrictions may need to be implemented.' Initial attacks on June 13 targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the Natanz enrichment site including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators. On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions. Grossi said the level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment. However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility. The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested. He said the IAEA is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time. Fordow is Iran's main enrichment location for enriching uranium to 60 percent. At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday's attack : the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant and the enriched uranium metal processing facility which was under construction. No increase of off-site radiation levels was reported. As in Natanz, the main concern is chemical toxicity. The IAEA DG said the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor under construction in Arak, was hit on June 19. As the reactor was not operational and did not contain any nuclear material, no radiological consequence is expected. The nearby Heavy Water Production Plant is also assessed to have been hit, and similarly no radiological consequence is expected. As stated in the IAEA's update of June 18 at the Tehran Research Center, one building, where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested, was hit. At the Karaj workshop, two buildings, where different centrifuge components were manufactured, were destroyed. There was no radiological impact, internally or externally. He said any action against the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor could also have severe consequences, potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants. In such a case, protective actions would need to be taken. Grossi said the IAEA would remain present in Iran and inspections there would resume, as required by Iran's safeguards obligations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement as soon as safety and security conditions allow. He said Iran's uranium stockpiles remain under safeguards in accordance with Iran's comprehensive safeguards agreement. More than 400 kg of this stockpile is uranium enriched up to 60 percent U-235. Any special measures by Iran to protect its nuclear materials and equipment must be done in accordance with Iran's safeguards obligations and the Agency. He said the IAEA had consistently underlined that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked. Calling for 'maximum restraint', he said military escalation threatens lives and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. A diplomatic solution is within reach if the necessary political will is there. Elements for an agreement have been discussed. 'The IAEA can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran. They can form the basis of a long-standing agreement that brings peace and avoids a nuclear crisis in the Middle East. This opportunity should not be missed. The alternative would be a protracted conflict and a looming threat of nuclear proliferation that, while emanating from the Middle East, would effectively erode the NPT and the non-proliferation regime as a whole.' He said that for the second time in three years, the world is witnessing a dramatic conflict between two UN and IAEA Member States in which nuclear installations are coming under fire and nuclear safety is being compromised. For the IAEA to act, a constructive, professional dialogue is needed. 'The IAEA must receive timely and regular technical information about affected nuclear facilities and their respective sites,' he said, and urged Iranian regulatory authorities to continue a constructive dialogue with the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre which has been operating 24/7 since the beginning of this conflict. UNI RB RN
Herald Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- Herald Sun
If Iran's bunkers are busted, what might escape?
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Remember Chernobyl? Remember Fukushima? So, is bombing Iran's nuclear facilities really such a good idea? Concern is growing across the Middle East that the fallout of Israel's assault on Iran will not just be political, economic and potentially military. They're anxiously watching for spikes in radiation. Qatar's energy ministry has announced it has enhanced its monitoring activities and is working with neighbouring states to plan for any necessary response. 'We have to emphasise, when we are talking about the waters of the Gulf, it's the main source of water for all of us here in the region,' foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told media this week. 'The international community has to make it very clear that any targeting of nuclear facilities, any targeting of fuel or energy facilities in this region, would have ramifications that are unknown to us in the Gulf.' Iran has only one functioning nuclear reactor, at Bushehr on the country's southwestern coast. There is also a small research reactor near Tehran. Iran's heavy water reactor complex in Arak, June 18. Picture: Maxar / Supplied And the next day. Picture: Maxar / Supplied But it does have several uranium processing plants and nuclear research facilities scattered around the country. Usually deep underground. Israel has struck several nuclear sites in the past week. Natanz Mount Kolang Gaz La Tunnel complex. Picture: Supplied It's hit Iran's largest uranium enrichment plant at Natanz in the central province of Isfahan. The smaller Fordow fuel enrichment plant near the city of Qom has been damaged. As has a heavy water nuclear plant in Arak. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that radioactive material has been released at at least one site. 'Within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination,' its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, stated earlier this week. 'Considering the type of nuclear material at this facility, it is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility.' But Uranium enrichment and heavy water plants are not nuclear reactors. And that's a critical factor in assessing the risk of any bombing campaign. Iran's bunkers. Picture: Maxar / Supplied Radiological release Explosions and drone strikes on and around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have sent shivers through the spines of nuclear analysts around the world since President Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion. His troops now occupy the site. And while it has been idled to halt the flow of electricity, it still poses a serious environmental risk. Ukraine knows what that means. The forest surrounding the wreck of the Soviet-era Chornobyl power plant is expected to remain unsafe for human habitation for at least 22,000 years. And the clean-up of Japan's Fukushima isn't likely to be completed before the mid-2050s. So what about Iran's bombed nuclear facilities? Only reactors have the highly radioactive fuel rods needed to turn water into the superheated steam that drives generators to produce electricity. Picture: Open Source Centre Picture: Open Source Centre So far, Iran's reactors at Bushehr and Tehran have been spared from attack. Its uranium enrichment and heavy water manufacturing plants, however, have not. Uranium enrichment involves powerful centrifuges. These spin uranium yellowcake, as dug out of the ground, into powders and gas. And the spinning separates these materials into their component isotopes (atomic elements) according to their weight. Weapons-grade enrichment demands concentrations of the isotope U-235 of more than 90 per cent. Nuclear fuel only needs between 3 and 5 per cent. Iran is alleged to have amassed 400kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent U-235. And the effort needed to take that to 90 per cent represents only a fortnight inside the centrifuges. Even then, the material is not suitable for weapons. The gas and powders must be turned into a metal. Only then can it be machined into devices capable of triggering a nuclear detonation. So, the most significant risk of bombing processing sites such as Natanz is the release of uranium hexafluoride gas. The main aboveground facilities at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility. This June 15 satellite photo reveals the extent of damage from Israel's weekend air raids. Picture: Maxar / Institute for Science and International Security This mountain at Natanz is believed to contain Iran's main uranium enrichment plant, capable of producing radioactive materials suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Picture: Institute for Science and International Security 'It's a big, heavy gas molecule,' says University of Alabama at Birmingham physicist Emily Caffrey. 'It's likely not going to travel super-far.' That means any escape from sites such as Fordow will likely only contaminate the immediate area. But the attack on the Arak reactor, some 250km southwest of Tehran, could potentially have produced more severe contamination. Heavy water is used for medical processes and nuclear research. And while not radioactive itself, the process of making it can produce deadly plutonium and deuterium. Both can be used in nuclear weapons. Picture: Airbus Defence and Space Picture: Airbus Defence and Space Long term threat 'We have nothing to be concerned about right now, but obviously prolonged escalation will have unpredictable consequences,' warns Qatar's al-Ansari. Assessment of satellite photos reveals most of the above-ground structures at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility have been destroyed. But the sites associated with the deep underground caverns holding the vital centrifuges appear untouched. That, according to analysts, does not mean they're undamaged. Sudden interruption to the power control could send the centrifuges spinning out of control. And shockwaves from nearby blasts could topple them from their mountings. The similar Fordow bunker facility does not yet appear to have been hit. But it is believed to be where most of the highly enriched, 60 per cent U-235 material is located. 'There's not a significant, dire health threat if those materials got released to the environment,' Union of Concerned Scientists spokesman Edwin Lymann told US public media. The kinds of uranium isotopes found within these facilities 'are at the low end of hazard with regard to radioactive materials,' he added. The IAEA agrees. To a point. Picture: Institute for Science and International Security Picture: Maxar 'The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if Uranium is inhaled or ingested,' Director Grossi states. 'However, this risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the affected facilities. The main concern inside the facility is the chemical toxicity of the Uranium Hexafluoride and the Fluoride compounds generated at the contact with water.' Uranium hexafloride can combine with moisture in the air to create hydrofluoric acid. This is highly corrosive and is used in glass etching and electronics manufacturing. But it can enter the human body through the skin, eyes or inhalation. 'That is an acutely hazardous material that can harm or kill people,' Lyman explains. Once in the body, it interferes with the nervous system and burns soft tissues. But not all of Israel's targets are limited to Uranium Hexafluoride. Images of the heavy water facility at Arak show its central reactor structure has been hit. And analysts say four other nuclear sites, mostly associated with turning the enriched uranium into a metal, have been targeted. This potentially means long-lived, highly radioactive fragments are scattered among the debris. Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer Originally published as If Iran's bunkers are busted, what might escape?
