US Strike Near Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Sparks Fresh Nuclear Safety Fears

The United States targeted the perimeter of Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant on Thursday, Iranian state media reported, as strikes near the Bushehr facility raised fresh concerns about nuclear safety amid escalating US-Iran military confrontation.

The strike comes as the US and Iran exchanged military strikes for a second consecutive day, with US President Donald Trump declaring the interim ceasefire "over" and warning that American military action would "get much worse" if Iran continued targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Several areas in Bushehr province were targeted today, including the perimeter of the nuclear power plant, a military base in the town of Choghadak and a fishing pier in the south of the province," Ehsan Jahanian, Deputy Governor of Bushehr province, told state media. He added that there were no reports of deaths so far.

Residents of Choghadak, which sits a little more than 20 kilometres from the Bushehr plant, reported hearing several explosions, AFP reported. The nuclear power station, built with Russian help, has one operational reactor and two further ones under construction. Russia evacuated its staff from the site during the war. Non-profit monitor ACLED has reported four strikes near the plant during the conflict.

IAEA Warnings on Nuclear Safety

In May, the UN's nuclear watchdog warned that attacks near the plant "pose a very real danger to nuclear safety and must stop." IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told 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.

"In their worst cases, 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 kilometres," he added. The IAEA's Incident and Emergency Centre in Vienna is operating 24/7, and Grossi reiterated his call for maximum restraint, saying military activities against nuclear facilities "carry undeniable risks."

Iran's 1987 Plea To IAEA

The Bushehr facility has been a target before. In February 1987, Iran's representative to the IAEA addressed the Board of Governors, recalling that Iraq had repeatedly bombed the site during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. "Armed attacks were carried out on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on 12 February 1985, 5 March 1985 and 12 July 1986," the representative stated.

Iran had formally transferred safeguardable nuclear material to the plant and notified the IAEA. The representative warned that Iraq had threatened further attacks, saying: "Iraq does consider the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant an important project for Iran, and it has to be considered, in view of the present developments in the area, a target for air attack."

Iran called on the IAEA to condemn the threats, stating that any attack "might have the same radiological consequences as the Chernobyl nuclear accident." The representative also supported the Group of 77's proposal for a convention on the prohibition of armed attacks against nuclear facilities.

What is Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

Iran's Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi announced plans in the 1970s to build 23 nuclear reactors while also having full control of the nuclear fuel cycle, opening the door to being able to build atomic weapons. That rattled US officials, who imposed limits on American companies from selling to Iran. German firm Kraftwerk Union began construction of the Bushehr plant in 1975 as part of a $4.8 billion deal for four reactors, according to an AP report.

However, the 1979 Islamic Revolution halted the project. Iraq repeatedly bombed the site during its eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s, seeking to stop Tehran's program.

In 1992, Russia and Iran entered into a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening collaboration in nuclear energy. Under the deal, Moscow trained Iranian nuclear experts and assisted in the construction of a heavy-water nuclear facility, although UN sanctions later slowed the project's progress.

Russia ultimately signed onto the project, which saw the power plant connected to the Iranian grid in 2011, running a pressurized-water reactor that generates up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity, which can power hundreds of thousands of homes and other businesses and industries.

The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5%, a low level needed for power generation in such plants. Iran has been trying to expand Bushehr to multiple reactors. In 2019, it began a project that plans to add two additional reactors to the site, each adding another 1,000 megawatts apiece.