Nuclear agency head warns of radiological and chemical contamination
inside Iran’s main nuclear site
[June 16, 2025]
By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN
VIENNA (AP) — The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said
Monday that there is a possibility of both radiological and chemical
contamination within Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz
following Israeli strikes, although radiation levels outside the complex
are presently normal.
IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the radiation
poses a significant danger if uranium is inhaled or ingested. He added
that the risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective
measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the
facilities.
“The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained
unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological
impact to the population or the environment from this event,” Grossi
said.
Grossi was addressing an urgent session of the U.N. nuclear watchdog
board in Vienna that was convened at the request of Russia to discuss
Israeli attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities. He said there
apparently was no additional damage at Natanz and the Isfahan nuclear
research site since Saturday.
He said that the main concern inside the Natanz facility is the chemical
toxicity of a gas called uranium hexafluoride, which is the result of
fluorine mixed with the uranium during enrichment. It is extremely
volatile, will quickly corrode, can burn the skin and is especially
deadly if inhaled, experts say.
“Amid theses challenging and complex circumstances, it is crucial that
the IAEA receives timely and regular technical information about the
facilities and their respective sites,” Grossi said.
Without information, the U.N. nuclear watchdog “cannot accurately assess
the radiological conditions and potential impacts on the population and
the environment and cannot provide the necessary assistance.”
Grossi said that U.N. inspectors will remain present in Iran and inspect
the nuclear facilities “as soon as safety conditions allow.”
He warned that “military escalation threatens lives, increases the
chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people
and the environment and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic
solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a
nuclear weapon.”
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This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Natanz
nuclear enrichment facility, where multiple buildings were destroyed
from recent Israeli airstrikes, 135 miles southeast of Tehran, Iran,
Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP)
Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show extensive
damage at Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The
images captured Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings
damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings
identified by experts as supplying power to the facility.
Grossi told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that the
above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main
centrifuge facility underground did not appear to be hit, but the
loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said.
Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The IAEA
said four critical buildings were damaged, including an
uranium-conversion facility, but there was no sign of increased
radiation at Natanz or Isfahan.
Grossi on Monday also told the IAEA board of governors that no
damage has been seen at the site of the Fordo enrichment site, which
is buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries.
Fordo appears designed to withstand airstrikes.
Grossi also said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran’s only
commercial nuclear power plant, has not been targeted nor affected
by the recent attacks and neither has the Tehran Research Reactor.
Any country on the 35-member board of the IAEA can call a meeting
under its rules. The IAEA board last week found Iran in
non-compliance with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20
year.
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