AKIPRESS.COM - Israel has conducted airstrikes targeting areas near the Bushehr nuclear power plant and several petrochemical facilities across Iran.

According to reports from the BBC, the strike occurred in the vicinity of Iran's only operational nuclear station, which was built with Russian assistance. While preliminary data suggests the core infrastructure remains intact and operational, officials warned that significant damage to the site could result in a major nuclear accident due to the high volume of radioactive materials present.

The IAEA expressed deep concern over the incident, though it confirmed that no increase in radiation levels has been detected, reiterating that nuclear facilities should never be targeted.

Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev reported the evacuation of 198 Russian employees shortly after the strike, moving them toward the Armenian border as part of a pre-planned safety maneuver. While approximately 50 personnel remained to maintain the equipment, Likhachev noted that the strike hit the plant's "protection perimeter" and resulted in the death of an Iranian security guard.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the action, drawing parallels to international reactions regarding the Zaporizhzhia plant and claiming this was the fourth time the Bushehr site had been targeted by Israel and the U.S.

In addition to the nuclear site, strikes hit petrochemical complexes in Bandar Mahshahr and the Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company in southwestern Iran, resulting in at least five deaths. While workers were evacuated, local authorities stated there is currently no environmental threat to neighboring cities.

Further attacks were reported at a commercial terminal in Khorramshahr, causing one death and two injuries, and a cement plant at the port of Bandar Khamir, which sustained strikes but continued its operations without casualties.