Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites mark a dangerous violation of international protocol, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watchdog and nuclear specialists.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said his agency was in contact with Iranian authorities to assess the impact of Israeli strikes on “nuclear security and safety.”
Grossi reported that there were no “elevated radiation levels” at the Natanz complex after it came under fire.
Another key nuclear site, Fordow, was reportedly also targeted.
“This development is deeply concerning,” said Grossi. “I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment.”
He further noted “armed attacks on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked” and called for “maximum restraint to avoid further escalation.”
Grossi cited a 1990 IAEA resolution declaring that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.”
Aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran (Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty)US intelligence currently assesses that Iran has not moved to weaponise its nuclear programme, although it has enriched uranium beyond the level required for civilian use.
On Thursday, just a day before Israel’s attack, the IAEA formally declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years.
Nineteen of the 35 countries on the board of the agency voted for the motion – backed by the US, UK, France and Germany – said Iran’s “many failures” to provide answers about its undeclared nuclear material and activities constituted non-compliance and expressed concern about Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation policy for the Arms Control Association group in Washington, called for “clear condemnation of attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities.”
“The norm against targeting nuclear facilities is already eroding. The IAEA – along with the international community – needs to act decisively to reinforce it and condemn the Israeli strike,” she said.
The attacks would increase the difficulty for IAEA inspectors to access Iran’s nuclear sites and ensure it is not weaponising the programme, she added.
Dr Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher and nuclear specialist at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, said so far the Israeli attacks were unlikely to cause a nuclear disaster but set a worrying precedent.
“If we look at the centrifuge facilities (that have been targeted) there is not much concern, because it’s uranium that is not particularly radioactive,” he said, which limited the “danger of radioactive contamination.”
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But the principle against attacking such facilities is important, said Dr Podvig, noting that Iran has threatened to respond in kind against Israel’s own nuclear sites.
“Iran could try to attack Israeli nuclear facilities like the reactor in Dimona in particular, (which) does have radioactivity, so there is a danger of radioactive release there,” he told The i Paper.
The only Iranian nuclear site that could potentially cause a disaster if attacked is the Bushehr reactor, built and fueled by Russia, which has radioactive material on site “including spent fuel,” said Dr Podvig.
“Bushehr is a light water reactor, so the point of comparison would be Fukushima,” he said, referring to the 2011 radiation leak disaster at the Japanese plant that forced 150,000 people to evacuate the area.
But Israel is unlikely to attack Bushehr as it is widely understood to have no potential role in nuclear weaponisation, Dr Podvig added.
The Israeli military and prime minister’s office declined to comment.
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