IAEA Chief Confirms Severe Damage to Iran’s Natanz Nuclear Plant After Israeli Strike

In a significant confirmation of Israel’s devastating success in Operation "Rising Lion," the head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, announced Monday that nearly all of Iran’s main uranium enrichment centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear facility have likely been severely damaged or destroyed following Israel’s precision airstrike.

Grossi told the BBC that an Israeli strike on Natanz’s external power supply triggered a sudden power cut, likely disabling roughly 15,000 centrifuges at the underground enrichment facility. “Our assessment is that with this sudden loss of external power, in great probability the centrifuges have been severely damaged if not destroyed altogether,” Grossi stated.

The IAEA chief's remarks go further than earlier updates delivered to the agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors, where Grossi previously noted possible damage to the site. While the underground hall housing the centrifuges appears to have escaped a direct hit, the loss of power to the high-speed, finely balanced machines likely caused catastrophic mechanical failures.

Power disruptions are particularly dangerous for uranium enrichment centrifuges, which spin at extremely high speeds and require constant stability to function safely. Any sudden loss of electricity risks damaging or destroying the machines entirely.

The Israeli strike at Natanz was part of a sweeping multi-day campaign that has seen Israeli forces dismantle much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and eliminate senior Iranian military leaders. Grossi confirmed that at least two of Iran’s three active uranium enrichment sites are now out of operation due to Israeli attacks.

In addition to the damage at Natanz, Grossi reported that Israel also inflicted significant harm to four buildings at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, including:

• The central chemical laboratory

• A uranium conversion plant responsible for producing uranium hexafluoride (UF6), essential for centrifuge operation

• The Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant

• A uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) to enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was still under construction

However, Grossi indicated that Iran’s underground storage facilities in Isfahan, where much of its highly enriched uranium stockpile is believed to be located, appear to have escaped serious damage though he cautioned that full assessment would require further inspections.

The third enrichment site, Fordow, located deep inside a mountain, suffered little to no visible damage, according to Grossi, though satellite imagery remains one of the few tools available to the IAEA since it has not been allowed physical access since the strikes began.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously confirmed that Operation "Rising Lion" targeted nuclear enrichment sites, nuclear weaponization labs, and senior Iranian scientists, all in response to Iran’s accumulation of enough enriched uranium for up to nine nuclear bombs. Netanyahu warned that Iran was on the verge of nuclear weaponization, compelling Israel to act decisively to neutralize the threat.

The scale of damage reported by the IAEA underscores Israel’s success in dealing a crippling blow to Iran’s nuclear program while exposing the regime’s vulnerability even inside fortified underground sites.

As Operation Rising Lion continues, Israel remains committed to dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and securing its future against existential threats, while sending a clear message to the world that it will act when survival is at stake.

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