UNITED NATIONS: The Middle East risks a nuclear catastrophe if Israel strikes Iran’s southern nuclear facility in Bushehr, the head of the UN atomic watchdog warned on Friday (Jun 20).
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the UN Security Council that while no radiation has been detected so far from Israel’s week-long military campaign against Iran, the risk remains high, especially if Bushehr is targeted.
“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 — in case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,” Grossi said.
The Bushehr reactor, located in southern Iran, is the Middle East’s first civilian nuclear plant and contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Grossi warned that a direct hit or even damage to the electrical lines powering the site could trigger a meltdown.
