Israeli attacks on Iran N sites have caused sharp degradation in Nuclear safety, but no radiological release : IAEA DG

Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security although they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public but there is a danger this could occur, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has warned.

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‘Nuclear facilities and material must not be shrouded by the fog of war,’ the IAEA DG told the UN Security Council, pointing out that the IAEA has been monitoring closely the situation at Iran's nuclear sites since Israel began its attacks.

Referring to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, he said this is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack ‘could be most serious".

‘It is an operating nuclear power plant and as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Countries of the region have reached out directly to me to express their concerns and | want to make it absolutely and completely clear : In case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,’ the IAEA DG warned.

He said there was an incorrect statement to the media by an Israeli military official that Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant had been attacked. Although the mistake was quickly identified and the statement retracted, the situation underscored the vital need for clear and accurate communication and the Agency's unique role in providing it in a technically accurate and politically impartial way is obvious.

Israel said on Friday it had struck Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast, potentially a major escalation in its air war against Iran.

Similarly a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor’s core to melt which could result in high release of radioactivity to the environment.

‘In their worst-case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometers. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometers and food restrictions may need to be implemented.’