"For the second time in three years, we are witnessing a dramatic conflict between two IAEA member states in which nuclear installations are coming under fire and nuclear safety is being compromised." Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), once again emphasized on Monday, June 16, how dangerous it is for nuclear sites to be at the center of armed clashes. After the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was bombed and occupied by Russian military forces, Israel has now targeted installations linked to Iran's nuclear program with airstrikes.

In the early hours of the offensive on Friday, June 13, the Natanz pilot uranium enrichment plant, located above ground 220 kilometers southeast of Tehran, was destroyed along with its electrical infrastructure. According to the IAEA, the underground part of the enrichment site was not hit, but the loss of power may have affected the operation of the centrifuges located there. The United Nations-backed international organization nevertheless stated on Monday that radioactivity levels around the site remained normal.

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