Tehran: Iran’s nuclear enrichment facility, located at Natanz, was reportedly hit again on Saturday during an Israeli airstrike, as confirmed by the Iranian news agency Mizan.
This latest strike came even as the Middle East conflict entered its fourth week. The facility, Iran’s primary site for uranium enrichment, sustained damage during the early stages of the ongoing war, with satellite images indicating significant destruction.
After the first round of strikes, soon after February 28, the country’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had said that the country’s nuclear facilities were badly damaged and that the enriched nuclear material remains buried under the debris.
Iran has no plans to retrieve the material, the minister said in an interview with CBS News.
Araghchi had added that although recovery could be considered in the future, any such effort would only take place under the supervision of the relevant international body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“Of course, there is the possibility to retrieve them, but under the supervision of the agency. If one day we come to the conclusion to do that, it would be under the supervision of the agency. But for the time being, we have no program. We have no plan to recover them from under the rubbles, the minister had said.
Experts have not ruled out the possibility of a possible radiation leak if the facility is substantially damaged.
Natanz is located approximately 220 kilometers southeast of Tehran. It has been a target of previous Israeli airstrikes during conflicts in June 2025. The latest airstrike also raises concerns about further escalations in the region, as per timesnow.in.
The latest round of airstrikes followed a statement from US president Donald Trump, indicating that he was contemplating a reduction of military operations in the Middle East. The US is reinforcing its presence by deploying three additional amphibious assault ships and approximately 2,500 marines to the area despite this.
