Strike Near Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant Kills One
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- IAEA confirmed that projectile fragments killed one person near Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant on Saturday but reported "no increase in radiation levels" at the site.
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the Bushehr facility has been "bombed" four times since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, criticizing what he called a lack of concern for its safety.
- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said an auxiliary building was damaged while the main sections of the power plant were unaffected, and identified the victim as a member of security personnel.
- Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev said 198 Russian staff — the largest wave yet — evacuated the plant beginning about 20 minutes after the strike, with buses heading toward the Iranian-Armenian border.
- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed "deep concern" and reiterated a call for "maximum military restraint to avoid risk of a nuclear accident," noting auxiliary buildings may contain vital safety equipment.
- US and Israeli strikes on Saturday also hit multiple petrochemical plants in Iran's southern Khuzestan energy hub, injuring at least five people and damaging the state-run Bandar Imam complex as well as the Fajr 1 and 2 facilities.
- Iran's IRGC claimed it shot down an MQ-1 drone over central Isfahan province hours after authorities said they forced down two US warplanes; Isfahan houses an underground uranium conversion and research site bombed during last June's strikes.
Why it matters: An auxiliary building near Iran's sole operational nuclear power plant was hit for what Tehran says is the fourth time since the war began February 28, killing one security worker, while Russia's Rosatom evacuated all 198 of its staff. With radiation levels still normal but the IAEA's Grossi publicly demanding "maximum military restraint," the incident raises the stakes of every subsequent strike within range of Bushehr's 250,000-resident surrounding city.
