Iran flags 'serious contamination risk' after Bushehr strike, Araghchi writes to UN

Iran warned of a “serious risk of radioactive contamination” after fresh strikes near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi writing to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to condemn the US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

In the letter, the text of which he shared on Telegram, Araghchi said repeated strikes in the vicinity of the country’s only operational nuclear power plant posed grave human and environmental dangers for the wider region. He said the repeated attacks near the active Bushehr facility had created an “intolerable situation” and warned that any radiological release could have severe consequences beyond Iran’s borders, Al Jazeera reported.

In a separate post on X, Araghchi said the Bushehr plant had been struck four times, claiming any radioactive fallout would threaten Gulf Cooperation Council capitals more than Tehran.

The Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran informed it that a projectile struck close to the premises of the Bushehr plant on Saturday morning, marking the fourth such incident in recent weeks. The UN nuclear watchdog said one member of the site’s physical protection staff was killed by projectile fragments, while a building was damaged by shock waves and debris. However, the agency added that no increase in radiation levels was reported.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed deep concern over the incident, stressing that nuclear power plant sites and nearby areas must never be attacked, as auxiliary structures may contain critical safety equipment. He renewed his call for maximum military restraint and reiterated the importance of adhering to the agency’s seven pillars of nuclear safety during conflict.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the strike did not affect the plant’s main sections and that electricity production remained normal. Bushehr, located on Iran’s Gulf coast, is the country’s only functioning nuclear power plant and remains strategically sensitive.

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