International Atomic Energy Agency’s chief Rafael Grossi said Israel’s Thursday strike on an Iranian nuclear facility caused radioactive contamination.
“Israel destroyed the above-ground part of the Natanz nuclear facility. There are no indications of damage to the underground enrichment facilities at the site, but the power outage may have affected the centrifuges. There is radioactive and chemical contamination at the site,” Grossi said to the United Nations’s Security Council Friday.
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The IAEA noted that while external radiation levels around Natanz did not increase because of the attack, internal contamination was detected.
“Radiation levels outside the Natanz facility remained unchanged,” Grossi stated, “but there was radioactive contamination present inside the facility, which can be managed with appropriate protective measures.”
Earlier this week, an IAEA report said Iran was not in compliance with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. This report was released shortly before Israel’s massive preemptive strike against the country.
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The board then passed a resolution holding Iran in noncompliance, which came after the report discovered secret nuclear activities within Iran.
“The Board of Governors … finds that Iran’s many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran … constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency,” the report read, according to Reuters.