New Delhi, Apr 4: The area around Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant came under attack for the fourth time since the start of the ongoing conflict, according to the country’s atomic energy authorities, as reported by the BBC. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said one member of the plant’s physical protection staff was killed in the latest strike, and blamed the United States and Israel for the attack. Neither Washington nor Tel Aviv has confirmed the claim.
The agency said preliminary assessments indicate that the main infrastructure of the facility was not damaged and operations remain unaffected. However, it warned that the presence of significant radioactive material means any serious strike could trigger a “major nuclear accident”.
The Bushehr facility, Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, was completed with assistance from Rosatom. Amid rising security concerns, Russia has begun evacuating personnel from the site. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev, as reported by the BBC, said a final evacuation wave involving around 200 staff is expected next week.
Iran’s nuclear programme has long been at the centre of international tensions and sanctions. The current US-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28, shortly after a round of indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva.
Reacting to the reported strike, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised what he described as Western double standards, warning that any radioactive fallout would threaten countries across the Gulf region rather than Iran alone.
