Vienna: Centrifuges at Iran’s underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz were likely to have been “severely damaged if not destroyed altogether” following Israeli strikes, the head of the global nuclear watchdog has informed the BBC. Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) attributed this to power cuts caused by the attack, during which an above-ground plant was “completely destroyed.” Despite the underground hall housing the centrifuges not being directly hit, the damage was likely significant, he added.
According to BBC, on Monday morning, Grossi briefed the IAEA’s board of governors, stating that the agency had been monitoring the situation in Iran meticulously. The agency was ascertaining the status of the country’s nuclear facilities and assessing radiation levels through communication with local authorities. He detailed that the attack destroyed the above-ground part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), where cascades of centrifuges were enriching uranium close to weapons-grade purity.
Grossi highlighted that although there was no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the PFEP and the main Fuel Enrichment Plant, the loss of power could have severely damaged the centrifuges there. “Our assessment is that with this sudden loss of external power, in great probability the centrifuges have been severely damaged if not destroyed altogether,” Grossi stated.
Centrifuges are delicate machines that spin uranium hexafluoride gas at high speeds. A power cut can cause a centrifuge to spin out of control, leading to significant damage. Grossi also mentioned there was radiological and chemical contamination at the site, but external radiation levels remained unchanged.
The Israeli military has claimed that the underground centrifuge hall was also damaged, although it has not provided evidence. Grossi reported that a separate attack on Friday destroyed four buildings at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre, including a central chemical laboratory and a uranium conversion plant. As at Natanz, off-site radiation levels at Isfahan remained unchanged.
The Israeli military claims that the Isfahan strike dismantled various facilities related to uranium production and enrichment. However, Grossi noted that underground spaces at Isfahan seemed unaffected. At the Fordo plant, he mentioned “very limited if any damage” was recorded, though Iran’s semi-official Isna news agency reported limited damage following an Israeli attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Israel’s actions as a violation of international law and called for a strong condemnation from the IAEA’s board. He stated that Iran’s missile strikes on Israel were a response to this aggression. Iran’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes have killed over 220 people since Friday, while Israeli authorities reported 24 deaths from Iranian missiles.
Last Thursday, the IAEA’s board formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years. The resolution cited Iran’s failures to provide full answers regarding its nuclear material and activities. Under a 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was not permitted to enrich uranium above 3.67% purity, but it has increasingly breached these restrictions since the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.