IAEA Investigating Reported Attack On Iran’s Darkhovin Nuclear Site

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is looking into reports of an overnight attack on the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in Darkhovin, Iran, according to a statement by the UN nuclear watchdog on X.

The facility is in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when last visited by the IAEA, the agency said. While the reported attack is not believed to pose any radiological risk, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reiterated his call for military restraint in the vicinity of all nuclear-related sites, according to the statement. The IAEA has contacted Iran about the public reports and will provide further information as it becomes available.

The attack comes as the United States and Iran have resumed strikes after a fragile ceasefire collapsed, with Washington launching fresh strikes on Iranian military targets and Tehran carrying out retaliatory attacks against US positions and Gulf allies, according to an Outlook India report.

Pattern Of Strikes Near Nuclear Sites

The reported attack on Darkhovin follows a pattern of strikes near Iranian nuclear facilities. Earlier this month, the United States targeted the perimeter of Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, with Iranian state media reporting strikes near the facility.

In May, Grossi warned the UN Security Council that any attack on an operating nuclear power plant could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment. "A hit that disabled the lines supplying electrical power to the plant could increase the likelihood of its reactors' cores melting, which could result in a high release of radioactivity," Grossi said at the time.

The Darkhovin incident also follows US strikes on Iran's Taleghan-2 facility, a sensitive site within the Parchin military complex with historical links to alleged nuclear weapons-related research. Satellite imagery analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security showed repair and reconstruction activity at the facility weeks after the strikes, though analysts cautioned that the images do not establish that Iran has resumed a nuclear weapons programme.

The IAEA has repeatedly stressed that the status of Iran's nuclear programme cannot be determined through satellite imagery alone, and that inspectors must regain access to Iranian nuclear facilities to verify their condition and independently assess Tehran's activities.

Political Context And US-Iran Conflict

The collapse of the truce has coincided with a growing political dispute inside Iran, where hardline factions are accusing senior officials who negotiated with Washington of undermining the Islamic Republic following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Uncertainty over the public role of his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has intensified accusations against President Masoud Pezeshkian, chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The IAEA's warning on military restraint near nuclear sites follows previous statements by Grossi, who earlier this year warned that attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes are unacceptable.

The Darkhovin facility, located in southwestern Iran, has been a planned site for nuclear power generation for years. Iran has previously announced plans to construct a 360-megawatt nuclear power plant at the site.