The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility on Saturday (local time). However, there was no radioactive leak, Reuters reported, citing the Tasnim agency.
According to the report, there was no release of radioactive material after the attack and residents near the facility were not at risk.
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The IAEA is responding to an attack on a nuclear facility in Iran
In a post on X in response to the development, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said: “The IAEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today. No increase in radiation levels outside the site has been reported. The IAEA is investigating the report.”
The agency added that its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, had again called for military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the organization said: “Following the criminal attacks of the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning.”
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Natanz, Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facility, was hit during the opening week of the conflict, with satellite images later showing damage to several structures, media reports indicated. The site, located roughly 220 kilometers southeast of Tehran, was previously attacked during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025 and was also targeted by the United States in subsequent strikes.
Israel warns of an increase in attacks
The attack on Tehran’s uranium enrichment facility came hours after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned of an upcoming increase in attacks on Tehran, the AP reported. Katz said in a video statement that next week the “intensity of attacks” by Israel and the United States against Iran’s ruling theocracy will “significantly increase.”
Katz’s warning came shortly after debris from an Iranian missile hit an empty kindergarten near Israel’s capital, Tel Aviv. In a video posted on X, an Israeli army spokesman showed a kindergarten building and added that no casualties were reported as the site was empty at the time of the attack.
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American-Israeli Iran War
The attack on Tehran’s nuclear facility is likely to mark a further escalation in the already tense war, which is now in its fourth week. The conflict, which began in late February, came days after Washington and Tehran concluded a third round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Iranian capital, Tehran, witnessed heavy airstrikes overnight and into the morning, residents said. This comes after US President Donald Trump said on Friday (local time) that he was considering “ending” military operations in the Middle East. The remarks came even as the US was sending three more amphibious assault ships and roughly 2,500 additional marines to the region.
His remarks followed Iran’s threat to attack recreational and tourist sites around the world.
Do the US and Israel have different motives in the war against Iran?
The US and Israel have presented varying justifications for the war, from encouraging an insurgency to topple Iran’s leadership to dismantling its nuclear and missile capabilities. However, there have been no visible signs of such an uprising and the conflict shows no clear path to an end.
According to an AP report, Trump recently said, “We are very close to meeting our goals as we consider ending our major military effort in the Middle East.” His remarks appeared to contradict even his administration’s move to bolster firepower in the region.
