New Delhi, June 21 (UNI) Israeli attacks on nuclear sites in Iran have caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security although they have not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public but there is a danger this could occur, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi has warned.
'Nuclear facilities and material must not be shrouded by the fog of war,' the IAEA DG told the UN Security Council, pointing out that the IAEA has been monitoring closely the situation at Iran’s nuclear sites since Israel began its attacks.
Referring to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, he said this is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences of an attack 'could be most serious".
'It is an operating nuclear power plant and as such it hosts thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. Countries of the region have reached out directly to me to express their concerns and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear : In case of an attack on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, a direct hit could result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,' the IAEA DG warned.
He said there was an incorrect statement to the media by an Israeli military official that Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant had been attacked. Although the mistake was quickly identified and the statement retracted, the situation underscored the vital need for clear and accurate communication and the Agency’s unique role in providing it in a technically accurate and politically impartial way is obvious.
Israel said on Friday it had struck Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast, potentially a major escalation in its air war against Iran.
Similarly a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor’s core to melt which could result in high release of radioactivity to the environment.
'In their worst-case, both scenarios would necessitate protective actions such as evacuations and sheltering of the population or the need to take stable iodine, with the reach extending to distances from a few to several hundred kilometers. Radiation monitoring would need to cover distances of several hundred kilometers and food restrictions may need to be implemented.'
Initial attacks on June 13 targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the Natanz enrichment site including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators.
On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions.
Grossi said the level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment.
However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility.
The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested.
He said the IAEA is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time. Fordow is Iran’s main enrichment location for enriching uranium to 60 percent. At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday’s attack : the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant and the enriched uranium metal processing facility which was under construction.
No increase of off-site radiation levels was reported. As in Natanz, the main concern is chemical toxicity.
The IAEA DG said the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor under construction in Arak, was hit on June 19. As the reactor was not operational and did not contain any nuclear material, no radiological consequence is expected.
The nearby Heavy Water Production Plant is also assessed to have been hit, and similarly no radiological consequence is expected.
As stated in the IAEA’s update of June 18 at the Tehran Research Center, one building, where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested, was hit.
At the Karaj workshop, two buildings, where different centrifuge components were manufactured, were destroyed. There was no radiological impact, internally or externally.
He said any action against the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor could also have severe consequences, potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants. In such a case, protective actions would need to be taken.
Grossi said the IAEA would remain present in Iran and inspections there would resume, as required by Iran’s safeguards obligations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement as soon as safety and security conditions allow.
He said Iran’s uranium stockpiles remain under safeguards in accordance with Iran’s comprehensive safeguards agreement. More than 400 kg of this stockpile is uranium enriched up to 60 percent U-235. Any special measures by Iran to protect its nuclear materials and equipment must be done in accordance with Iran’s safeguards obligations and the Agency.
He said the IAEA had consistently underlined that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked.
Calling for 'maximum restraint', he said military escalation threatens lives and delays indispensable work towards a diplomatic solution for the long-term assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
A diplomatic solution is within reach if the necessary political will is there. Elements for an agreement have been discussed. 'The IAEA can guarantee, through a watertight inspections system, that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran. They can form the basis of a long-standing agreement that brings peace and avoids a nuclear crisis in the Middle East. This opportunity should not be missed. The alternative would be a protracted conflict and a looming threat of nuclear proliferation that, while emanating from the Middle East, would effectively erode the NPT and the non-proliferation regime as a whole.'
He said that for the second time in three years, the world is witnessing a dramatic conflict between two UN and IAEA Member States in which nuclear installations are coming under fire and nuclear safety is being compromised.
For the IAEA to act, a constructive, professional dialogue is needed. 'The IAEA must receive timely and regular technical information about affected nuclear facilities and their respective sites,' he said, and urged Iranian regulatory authorities to continue a constructive dialogue with the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre which has been operating 24/7 since the beginning of this conflict.
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