A projectile struck near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening, prompting the IAEA to call for restraint while Russian and Iranian officials criticized the agency for downplaying the risk of a nuclear disaster.
A projectile struck the compound of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both Al Arabiya Farsi, a Saudi-aligned outlet, and اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری reported that Iranian officials formally notified the IAEA of the incident. The strike occurs against the backdrop of an intensive, ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iranian targets that began earlier this week.
Addressing reporters in Washington on Wednesday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the damage does not appear very significant and likely hit a small laboratory building, according to opposition-aligned Iran International. Grossi noted that the drone landed in the compound rather than striking the power plant itself, adding that the reactors were unaffected and there were no human casualties. While the IAEA has not yet independently verified the extent of the damage, Grossi urged maximum restraint during the conflict to avoid a nuclear accident.
Iranian state-aligned media heavily criticized the IAEA's response to the incident. Fars News, which is affiliated with the IRGC, reported that Iranian officials stated the projectile was fired by America or the Zionist regime at approximately 19:00 Tehran time. Fars strongly condemned Grossi for failing to denounce the dangerous action of the Zionist regime and America, criticizing the director for merely calling for maximum restraint instead of holding the attackers accountable.
Expanding on this criticism, Russian envoy to the IAEA Mikhail Ulyanov called the agency's reaction disproportionate to the severity of the situation. As reported by Fars News, Ulyanov stressed that the missile exploded a mere 200 meters from an active nuclear reactor, warning that the strike creates a real risk of a major nuclear disaster that could severely impact the entire region.
The source material reflects a stark contrast in editorial framing. Opposition and Saudi-aligned channels focus on the IAEA's preliminary assessment of minimal damage, while Iranian state-aligned media amplify the severity of the strike, adopting hostile terminology like 'Zionist regime' and leveraging Russian diplomatic statements to emphasize the risk of a regional nuclear catastrophe.