NEW YORK, 20th June, 2025 (WAM) – The head of the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog laid out in detail the dire consequences of a strike on working nuclear reactors in Iran, as Israel continues to pound facilities it says are linked to Tehran's ambitions to build a nuclear bomb.
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that the biggest concern is the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.
"This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack would be the most serious," Grossi said, noting that it is an operating plant and "as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material."
"Countries of the region have reached out directly to me over the past few hours to express their concerns and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear," Grossi said.
Speaking via video link on Friday, Grossi said that there were real risks posed by an attack on the Bushehr nuclear plant, warning that "a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment."
"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 a high release of radioactivity to the environment," he said.