Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that a projectile struck the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran, marking the first such incident since the start of U.S.-Israeli attacks.
Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachyov said an area adjacent to a facility housing measurement instruments and sensors, located near the plant’s operational unit, was hit Tuesday evening. He said there were no casualties and radiation levels remained normal.
“We categorically condemn what has occurred and call on all parties to exert every possible effort to de-escalate the situation in the vicinity of the Bushehr NPP,” Likhachyov said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had informed it that “a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr NPP on Tuesday evening,” adding that there was no damage to the plant or injuries to staff.
Neither Russia nor Iran assigned blame for the strike.
Located in southwestern Iran, the plant was built with Rosatom’s assistance and connected to the national grid in 2011. It remains the country’s only operational nuclear power facility.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reiterated calls for restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident, the Vienna-based agency said in a statement.
Likhachyov had previously warned that a strike on Bushehr could spread radioactive contamination in the surrounding area.
Earlier this month, construction of two additional units at the Bushehr plant was suspended due to ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes, though Russian specialists have remained on site for maintenance work.
Likhachyov said around 480 Rosatom employees are still in Iran following two rounds of evacuations, with preparations underway for a third.
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