Iran and Russia say a projectile struck the grounds of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, raising fears of a radiological incident amid Tehran’s war with Israel and the United States. Neither country reported any release of nuclear material.
Reports of a projectile striking there
Russia’s Tass quoted Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev saying “a strike hit the area adjacent to the metrology service building located at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant site, in close proximity to the operating power unit.” Rosatom technicians operate the plant, which uses Russian-made, low-enriched uranium. Likhachev said there were no casualties among Rosatom personnel and that the radiation situation was normal.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran issued a statement saying “no financial, technical, or human damage occurred, and no part of the plant was harmed.” The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been informed by Iran that a projectile hit the premises on Tuesday evening and that no damage or injuries were reported.
No independent expert has publicly assessed the damage. Neither Iran nor Russia released images. Moscow has previously made disputed claims about nuclear sites during its war in Ukraine, and Iran has been using force and diplomacy to pressure neighbours and the US. It remains unclear what type of projectile struck the complex. The US Central Command did not immediately comment.
Shrapnel from missile interceptions and air-defence fire has caused damage in the region since the war began. Bushehr, about 750 km south of Tehran, also hosts an Iranian navy base and a dual-use civilian-military airport with air defences.
Bushehr: a long-sought project by Iran
Plans for nuclear power in Iran date to the 1970s, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi announced proposals for 23 reactors and full control of the nuclear fuel cycle, raising US concerns about weapons potential. German firm Kraftwerk Union began building Bushehr in 1975 as part of a $4.8 billion deal for four reactors, but the 1979 Islamic Revolution halted the project. Iraq bombed the site repeatedly during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
Russia later completed the project. Bushehr was connected to Iran’s grid in 2011 and runs a pressurised-water reactor generating up to 1,000 megawatts—enough for hundreds of thousands of homes—but accounting for only 1–2% of Iran’s electricity. Iran has sought to expand the site; a 2019 project aims to add two more 1,000-megawatt reactors, and satellite imagery in December showed ongoing construction with cranes over both sites. The operating reactor uses Russian-supplied uranium enriched to about 4.5%, a low level for power generation.
Bushehr and regional tensions
Bushehr was left untouched during the 12-day conflict in June between Israel and Iran. In that period the US bombed three Iranian enrichment sites, destroying centrifuges and likely trapping Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched, roughly 60% uranium underground. Since then, Iran has restricted IAEA inspections at those sites.
A strike on a nuclear power plant risks a radiation leak into the environment—a concern reinforced by attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities since Russia’s 2022 invasion. A release into the Persian Gulf would pose an existential crisis for Gulf Arab states that depend on desalination plants drawing seawater from the Gulf for drinking water.
