The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran reported a missile or projectile strike on the Bushehr nuclear power plant site on Tuesday evening, prompting an urgent appeal for nuclear safety.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced early Wednesday that Iranian authorities reported a strike on the country's primary nuclear facility. According to Fars News International, an Iranian state-affiliated media outlet aligned with the IRGC, the UN nuclear watchdog stated: "Iran informed us that on Tuesday evening a missile hit the site of the Bushehr nuclear power plant."
The incident was similarly confirmed across the regional media spectrum, including by the Saudi-owned outlet Al Arabiya Farsi, which is typically critical of the Iranian government. The channel briefly echoed the IAEA's confirmation that Iran formally notified them of a "projectile" striking the plant. The notification follows severe regional escalations this week, marked by extensive Israeli and US strikes on Iranian military and infrastructure targets alongside sweeping Iranian counter-strikes.
In response to the reported strike on the nuclear site, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued an urgent appeal to all warring parties. According to the breaking news channel اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری, Grossi "once again called for maximum restraint during the conflict to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident after the Bushehr incident."
All sources consistently report the IAEA's statement regarding Iran's notification of the strike. The origin of the projectile and the extent of any damage to the facility were not specified in these reports. There is a slight divergence in terminology: state-affiliated Fars News explicitly translated the weapon as a 'missile' (موشک), whereas Al Arabiya Farsi and the breaking news channel translated it as a 'projectile' (پرتابه).