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U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeting key nuclear-related sites in central Iran hit the Khondab heavy water facility near the Arak nuclear complex and the Ardakan uranium processing facility on Friday, Iranian media reported.
Authorities said the attacks did not cause casualties, structural damage, or any release of radioactive material.
Iranian officials said the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, located about 55 kilometers northwest of Arak in Markazi Province, was struck in two phases after warnings of incoming air raids.
Markazi Deputy Governor Hasan Kameri said the United States and Israel targeted the site but confirmed that there was no damage or loss of life. He added that the attack posed no risk to nearby residents.
Also known as IR-40, the facility is part of Iran’s Arak nuclear complex and was designed as a 40-megawatt heavy water research reactor using natural uranium fuel. It includes a heavy water production plant that supplies material used to moderate nuclear reactions.
While Iran says the facility is intended for research and medical isotope production, heavy water reactors of this type can also produce plutonium as a byproduct, placing the site under international scrutiny.
In a separate development, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said a uranium-related facility in Ardakan, in Yazd Province, was also targeted.
"The plant in Ardakan, located in Yazd Province, was targeted minutes ago in an attack by the American-Zionist enemy," the organization said, adding that no radioactive material was released.
The facility produces "yellowcake," a concentrated uranium compound used in the early stages of nuclear fuel processing.
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