A projectile struck near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant for the fourth time. According to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the most recent incident occurred on Saturday at around 8:30 am, when a projectile hit the area near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. IRNA added that one of the security personnel was killed but there was no damage to the plant’s facilities. The UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that radiation levels remain normal and urged all countries to exercise maximum restraint, warning that bombing a nuclear site would have catastrophic consequences.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the attack, saying that ‘the radioactive fallout would end life in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) capitals and not Tehran’. He added that the attacks on petrochemical plants also reveal the actual targets of the U.S. and Israel. The nuclear power plant is situated in the Persian Gulf and is much closer to Gulf capitals, such as Kuwait City and Doha, than to Tehran. Earlier this week, Kuwait issued a radiation advisory, cautioning residents about potential radiation exposure and the safety guidelines to follow. Residents were advised to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary movement outside, and keep all windows and doors sealed.
Bushehr Power Plant
The construction of the only operating power plant in Iran was started in 1975 under the Shah’s Empire. The project was later halted due to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Iran–Iraq war, after which the German company Siemens backed out of the project. Russia took over the construction in 1995, and after various disputes and international sanctions, the construction was finally completed in 2011 and handed over to the Iranian authorities in 2013.
