The nuclear complex in Khondab (photo from the archive)
According to a report from the Iranian state news agency Fars, the plant was bombed. Iranian authorities claim that there were no casualties from the strike and that no radioactive materials leaked. Later, Israeli military confirmed their involvement in the attack, explaining their actions as attempts to prevent the plant from being restored after a previous attack last year.
According to Deutsche Welle, the heavy water reactor located in the same complex as the plant was also targeted during strikes in June 2025 as part of a military operation by the US and Israel against Iran's nuclear program. At that time, the IAEA reported that the facility was not yet completed and contained no nuclear materials.
Heavy water, which has a density about 10% higher than that of regular water, is used in nuclear reactors to slow down neutrons and as a basis for producing tritium—a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
On March 21, US and Israeli forces attacked a well-known Iranian nuclear facility—the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. The IAEA did not record any increase in radiation in the area of the strike, and the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) reported that there were no leaks of radioactive materials and no danger to the population.
The Natanz complex includes both above-ground and underground uranium enrichment facilities, housing more than 10,000 centrifuges. According to the IAEA, uranium enrichment at this site was conducted up to 60%. For a nuclear power plant, enrichment to 3-5% is sufficient, while for the creation of nuclear weapons, a level of 90% must be achieved.
Like the plant in Khondab, the Natanz complex was also targeted during the US-Israeli operation in 2025. At that time, above-ground centrifuges were destroyed, but the fate of the underground ones remained uncertain. US President Donald Trump claimed that key facilities of the Iranian nuclear program were "completely destroyed" and that their restoration would take a long time.
Since February 28, the US and Israel have begun airstrikes on Iran, during which the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several high-ranking officials were killed. In response, Iran is attacking Israel and Gulf countries using missiles and drones, targeting what Iranian authorities claim are US military bases. Oil storage facilities and tankers in the region have also come under fire.
