A new flashpoint has erupted in the growing tension between the US and Iran, with Iranian state-affiliated media reporting that the US carried out missile strikes close to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the country's only nuclear energy plant.
The attack happened around noon on Thursday, Al Mehr News Agency, Iran's state-run news agency, said, and pictures posted on social media showed smoke from the nuclear complex. The footage is watermarked with the Iranian news and has not been independently verified.
Initial reports from Iranian authorities were contradictory. Bushehr Governor Arslan Zare initially denied that the nuclear facility had come under attack. However, Iran's official news agency IRNA later reported that a local official confirmed the US missiles had landed near the site.
The missiles struck near the nuclear power plant shortly after midday, Ehsan Jahanian, a provincial official in Bushehr, said. In the incident just hours after the US Central Command had said it stopped military operations against Iran, the report said.
The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which started in 2011, is Iran’s only commercial nuclear power plant. While it adds only around 1 to 2 percent of the country’s overall electricity production, it is strategically important and can provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of households. During peak periods, the facility is said to produce enough power for more than two million households.
Iranian media also cited reports that missile fragments fell in the vicinity of the nuclear facility. But there has been no official confirmation of damage to the plant itself or reports of radiation leaks or casualties.
At this time, the United States has not provided a public statement confirming or denying the reported strike.
The escalation is coming at a time of increasing tensions in the region. Iranian authorities say this comes after Tehran has also attacked three commercial ships—one owned by Qatar and another sailing under a Saudi Arabian flag. Iran accused the ships of violating maritime transit routes allocated by the Islamic Republic.
The reported strike near Bushehr will only raise international concern as any military action involving a nuclear facility has very large regional and global security implications. Washington, Tehran and international nuclear watchdogs will be closely watching for official responses as the situation unfolds.
