IAEA Confirms Damage to Iran’s Natanz Nuclear Site After U.S.–Israeli Strikes

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed March 3 that one of Iran’s key uranium enrichment sites sustained new damage during the ongoing joint U.S.–Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

In a statement posted on X, the agency said satellite imagery shows “recent damage to entrance buildings” at Iran’s underground Natanz Nuclear Facility, formally known as the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).

The IAEA said no radiological consequences are expected and no additional impact was detected at the facility itself, which had already suffered extensive destruction during a prior round of fighting in June 2025.

Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, acknowledged outside a closed-door meeting in Vienna on March 2 that U.S. and Israeli forces had struck “nuclear facilities yesterday,” confirming that Natanz was among the targets.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security also assessed that the site had been hit. Citing commercial satellite imagery, the institute reported damage from two separate strikes to access points leading to the underground enrichment plant. Though the facility has reportedly been non-operational since last year’s conflict, analysts warned it may still house enriched uranium cylinders and potentially recoverable centrifuges.

The institute did not specify whether the strikes were carried out by U.S. or Israeli forces.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi described the situation as “very concerning,” warning the agency cannot rule out a “possible radiological release” if military operations continue to impact nuclear-related sites. However, he noted that radiation levels in neighboring countries and within Iran remain at normal background levels.

Grossi urged “utmost restraint” in military operations, pointing out that several countries in the region operate nuclear reactors or research facilities, increasing risks to nuclear safety amid escalating hostilities.

U.S. officials previously stated that 2025’s Operation Midnight Hammer destroyed significant portions of Natanz, along with the Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites, including electrical infrastructure and above-ground enrichment facilities.

The Natanz complex, located roughly 180 miles south of Tehran, has long been central to Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The latest confirmation by the U.N. nuclear watchdog underscores the expanding scope of the current military campaign and raises fresh concerns about the stability of nuclear infrastructure across the region.

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