Iran's Natanz nuclear site suffered ‘some damage’ after US-Israeli strikes, says UN nuclear watchdog

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Tuesday, 3 March, that the Natanz nuclear enrichment site in Iran has suffered “some recent damage”. The Natanz nuclear site sustained damage after the United States (US) and Israel launched a flurry of strikes against Tehran.

The IAEA also said that there was “no radiological consequence expected” from it. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the damage was focused on "entrance buildings" to the underground portion of the atomic site.

The US forces had earlier bombed the uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz during the June conflict. Also Read | Iran-US conflict news: PM Modi speaks to Saudi Crown Prince, King of Bahrain amid tensions in Gulf nations

The underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) is one of Iran's three uranium-enrichment plants that are known to have been operating when Israel and the United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last June.

In a statement on X, the UN nuclear watchdog said, “Based on the latest available satellite imagery, IAEA can now confirm some recent damage to entrance buildings of Iran's underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant.” Also Read | New activity at Iran’s Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites hit by Israel and US: Report

"No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict," it added.

Netanyahu explains why Iran was attacked

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has said that Israel and the US struck Iran because Tehran had restarted its nuclear programme and it would have gone “immune within months”.

Speaking with Fox News, Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Tehran was building new underground sites to help shield its missiles and nuclear programmes. He also said that an attack on Iran was needed “urgently”.

Netanyahu said, “They started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile programme and their atomic bomb programme immune within months. If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future.”

The Israeli prime minister said, “The reason that we had to act now is that after we hit their nuclear sites and their ballistic missile programme (in the 12-day war last year in June)... they started building new sites...underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile programme and their atomic bomb programme immune within months.”

“If no action is taken now, no action can be taken in the future.”