UN Watchdog Says Israeli Strikes Made ‘Direct Impacts’ on Underground Nuclear Site

Contact Your Elected Officials

The International Atomic Energy Agency said the centrifuge halls at Iran’s Natanz facility were hit.

Israeli airstrikes have damaged an underground Iranian nuclear facility, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said on June 17.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a social media post on Tuesday that it believes that Israel’s initial aerial attacks on Iran’s Natanz enrichment site this past week struck the facility’s underground centrifuge halls.

“Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday’s attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,” the IAEA said in a post on X.

The Natanz facility, about 130 miles southeast of Tehran, is protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing, and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The IAEA had earlier said that Israeli strikes had destroyed an above-ground enrichment hall at Natanz and knocked out electrical equipment that powered the facility.

In its X post on Tuesday, the IAEA said that there was “no change to report” at the country’s Esfahan and Fordow nuclear sites.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the IAEA, said in a conference on Monday that U.N. inspectors will remain in Iran to inspect the facilities “as soon as safety conditions allow.”

But he warned that “military escalation threatens lives, increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.”

Radiation emitted inside the damaged Natanz facility can pose a significant danger if uranium is ingested or inhaled, he said, adding, “The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event.”

Iran has long stressed that its nuclear enrichment sites are for civilian purposes only, denying assertions that the regime is attempting to build a nuclear weapon.

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have said that Israel launched airstrikes on Iran because they had received intelligence that Iran was enriching uranium at levels to make nuclear weapons.

By Jack Phillips

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Peace In Ukraine Won’t End The West’s Hybrid War On Russia

The West’s Hybrid War on Russia to follow peace in Ukraine is inevitable due to neoconservatives and liberal-globalists in its decision-making ecosystem.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another “1-in-100 years” weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated “Weather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texas”.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted “independence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

“The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures. 

Existing US Energy Generation Retirements Increase Blackout Risk by 100 Times in 2030: DOE

Planned retirement of more than 100 gigawatts of power generation capacity by end of the decade could increase risk of blackouts in the US by 100 times.

Los Angeles Mayor Confronts Federal Immigration Officers at MacArthur Park

After decrying federal immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass confronted ICE officers as they gathered at a city park.

Trial Begins Over Trump Admin’s Deportations of Pro-Palestinian Students

A trial over President Trump’s attempts to deport pro-Palestinian activists began on July 7 with attorneys debating free speech.

Man Killed After Opening Fire at Border Patrol Facility in Texas

27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed after opening fire outside Border Patrol facility in McAllen, TX, prompting shootout with feds and local police.

Trump Extends Federal Hiring Freeze Until October

Trump issued memo extending federal hiring freeze until Oct. 15, maintaining exemptions for positions related to the armed forces and public safety.

US to Send More Defensive Weapons to Ukraine

The Pentagon is sending more defensive weapons to Ukraine amid the Eastern European country’s ongoing war with Russia.

Trump to Extend Tariff Deadline to Aug. 1, Keep Rates at 10 Percent During Talks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will sign the order to move the deadline to Aug. 1 from its current date of July 9.

DOJ, FBI Find Epstein Committed Suicide, Had No ‘Client List’

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and had no “client list,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.
spot_img

Related Articles