IAEA: Iran's heavy water production facility no longer operational

(Patria) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced yesterday that Iran's heavy water production facility in Khondab, which the country reported was attacked on March 27th, suffered serious damage and is no longer operational, Al Arabiya reported.
The facility does not contain declared nuclear material, the United Nations nuclear watchdog added in a post on social media X.

The Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that it struck a heavy water reactor and a uranium processing facility in central Iran on Friday.

"The Israeli Air Force... struck the heavy water facility in Arak, central Iran," the IDF stated, adding that it is a "key site for the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons."

Iranian media reported that US-Israeli attacks hit the Khondab heavy water complex, stating that they did not cause casualties or radiation leaks from the site.

Work on the reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of the now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers. The reactor core was removed and concrete was poured into it, rendering it inoperable. The research reactor was officially intended for the production of plutonium for medical research, and the site also includes a heavy water production facility.

The Israeli military also confirmed that it struck a uranium processing facility in central Iranian Yazd on Friday, after the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization announced that US-Israeli attacks had hit the facility.

"The Israeli Air Force... struck a uranium extraction facility located in Yazd, central Iran," the military announced, describing the site as "a unique facility in Iran used to produce raw materials needed for the uranium enrichment process."

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization stated that the attack on the facility "did not result in the release of any radioactive material."

Israel and the US accuse Iran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons, while Tehran claims its program is for civilian purposes.

The heavy water facility in Arak was targeted by Israeli attacks during the twelve-day war between Iran and Israel last June, when the United States also carried out bombings.

The Middle East was plunged into war on February 28th when the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliation with missiles and drones against Israel and several countries in the region.