Gulf faces nuclear catastrophe if Bushehr is hit, says IAEA

TDT | agencies

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A military strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor could unleash a nuclear catastrophe across the Gulf, the UN’s nuclear watchdog chief warned, calling for urgent restraint amid spiralling tensions. Even targeting the power lines that supply the facility could trigger a meltdown, said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“This would cause a very high release of radioactivity,” Grossi told the UN Security Council, noting that Bushehr contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material. “Countries of the region have reached out directly to me in recent hours to express concern,” he added.

Grossi warned that the fallout would not stop at Iran’s borders. In a worst-case scenario, areas within several hundred kilometres of the site — including major population centres in Gulf Arab states — would face emergency evacuation orders, food restrictions, and the need for iodine distribution to counter radiation exposure.

While the IAEA has not detected any radiation leak so far during Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, Grossi stressed that Bushehr — the Middle East’s first civilian nuclear reactor — remains a high-risk target. He confirmed that, as of now, the site appears to have been spared. Bushehr’s construction began in the 1970s under the Western-backed Shah of Iran. German engineers initially led the project, which was later completed and maintained by Russia after the 1990s.

Grossi urged all sides to pursue diplomatic solutions, reiterating the IAEA’s role in verifying Iran’s compliance with non-proliferation commitments. “We can guarantee, through a watertight inspection system, that nuclear weapons are not being developed in Iran,” he said, offering once again to personally mediate a resolution.