IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said his agency was in contact with Iranian authorities to assess the impact of Israeli strikes on “nuclear security and safety.”
Another key nuclear site, Fordow, was reportedly also targeted.
He further noted “armed attacks on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked” and called for “maximum restraint to avoid further escalation.”
Aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran (Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty)
US intelligence currently assesses that Iran has not moved to weaponise its nuclear programme, although it has enriched uranium beyond the level required for civilian use.
Nineteen of the 35 countries on the board of the agency voted for the motion – backed by the US, UK, France and Germany – said Iran’s “many failures” to provide answers about its undeclared nuclear material and activities constituted non-compliance and expressed concern about Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
“The norm against targeting nuclear facilities is already eroding. The IAEA – along with the international community – needs to act decisively to reinforce it and condemn the Israeli strike,” she said.
Dr Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher and nuclear specialist at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, said so far the Israeli attacks were unlikely to cause a nuclear disaster but set a worrying precedent.
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But the principle against attacking such facilities is important, said Dr Podvig, noting that Iran has threatened to respond in kind against Israel’s own nuclear sites.
The only Iranian nuclear site that could potentially cause a disaster if attacked is the Bushehr reactor, built and fueled by Russia, which has radioactive material on site “including spent fuel,” said Dr Podvig.
But Israel is unlikely to attack Bushehr as it is widely understood to have no potential role in nuclear weaponisation, Dr Podvig added.
The Israeli military and prime minister’s office declined to comment.
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