Israel Clobbers Iran's Natanz Nuclear Site Again: What's the Damage?
Israel reports fresh strikes on Iranian nuclear installations - "Iran experiences fresh assaults on its nuclear installations, according to Israel's revelations"
Here's the skinny on the latest bust-up at the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz, following Israel's military barrage. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a crucial uranium enrichment facility in the nuclear plant had been obliterated. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Tuesday "signs of direct hits" on the underground areas of the facility.
Israel's rationale for targeting Iran is to thwart Tehran from manufacturing a nuclear weapon. While the Iranian government claims they're just enriching uranium for civilian purposes.
Damage Report
Last Friday marked the commencement of strategic attacks on Iran, and Natanz bore the brunt of it. Initial Israeli attacks hit the facility hard, damaging above-ground installations, the electrical infrastructure, the primary power building, and emergency and backup generators. Then, on June 22, U.S. strikes settled a massive crater, approximately 18 feet in diameter, right above the underground complex at Natanz. This intensifies speculation about the focus on penetrating underground facilities.
The IAEA has verified that the underground enrichment halls at Natanz were undoubtedly impacted by the strikes. Preliminary evidence suggests that Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) were used in the attacks, heightening the depth of penetration into these underground structures.
Before the attacks, the status of the centrifuges at Natanz was as follows:
- 36 cascades of IR-1 centrifuges (all operational)
- 39 cascades of IR-2 centrifuges (31 operational)
- 23 cascades of IR-4 centrifuges (12 operational)
- 4 cascades of IR-6 centrifuges (all operational)
Damage to some centrifuges may have occurred due to power loss caused by the attacks. The IAEA reports that the radiation confined within the Natanz facility is primarily composed of alpha particles, which can be harmful if inhaled or ingested, and chemical toxicity poses a significant internal hazard.
In essence, the Natanz nuclear facility has taken a substantial beating, particularly its electrical infrastructure and underground enrichment halls. The attacks have caused possible centrifuge damage, and contamination is contained within the site. The strategic attacks on Iran significantly hamper Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities at Natanz, though no external radiological contamination has been detected.
- Iran
- Nuclear Facility
- Israel
- Air Force
- Propaganda (Joint US-Israeli justifications for military action)
- Arak (A city in Iran)
- IAEA
- MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrator)
- Radiological Contamination (Risks and consequences of radiation exposure)
- Centrifuges (Machines that enrich uranium)
- IR-1, IR-2, IR-4, and IR-6 (Types of centrifuges used in the Natanz facility)
The latest attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, carried out by Israel's air force, has caused significant damage to the underground enrichment halls, and there might be damage to some of the IR-1, IR-2, IR-4, and IR-6 centrifuges. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed the use of Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) in the attacks and the presence of radiological contamination within the facility, posing a hazard if inhaled or ingested. The IAEA continues to monitor the situation, while some parties may use this incident as propaganda to justify further military action in the context of Middle East politics and war-and-conflicts.
