IAEA chief calls Israeli president, reportedly says Iran nuclear facility was severely damaged
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday following airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, an Israeli presidential spokesperson told Fox News.
Grossi told Herzog that the facility was severely damaged in the strikes, according to Israeli media reports.
“We are currently in contact with the Iranian nuclear safety authorities to ascertain the status of relevant nuclear facilities and to assess any wider impacts on nuclear safety and security,” Grossi said in a statement.
“Radiation levels outside the Natanz facility remained unchanged. The type of radioactive contamination present inside the facility, mainly alpha particles, can be managed with appropriate protective measures,” he added.
“This development is deeply concerning. I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment. Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security,” Grossi continued.
“As Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and consistent with the objectives of the IAEA under the IAEA Statute, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond,” he also said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also wrote a letter to Grossi on Friday asking for “explicit condemnation” of Israel’s “aggression against Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
“In his letter, while emphasizing Iran’s decision to take special measures to protect nuclear equipment and materials, Araghchi stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran will deliver a decisive response to the act of aggression,” Iran’s foreign ministry said. “He further called for immediate action by the director general to convene an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors to address the situation.”
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that “Overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, struck the Iranian regime’s uranium enrichment site in the Natanz area.”
“This is the largest uranium enrichment site in Iran, which has operated for years to achieve nuclear weapons capability and houses the infrastructure required for enriching uranium to military-grade levels. As part of the strikes, the underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms, and additional supporting infrastructure,” according to the IDF.
“In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted,” it said.
Credit: Fox News
