IAEA Confirms Severe Damage to Iran’s Khondab Heavy Water Plant After Airstrikes
In a post on X, the agency said its assessment was based on independent analysis of satellite imagery and its knowledge of the facility.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Sunday that Iran’s heavy water production plant at Khondab has sustained severe damage and is no longer operational following reported airstrikes.
In a post on X, the agency said its assessment was based on independent analysis of satellite imagery and its knowledge of the facility. The IAEA confirmed that the plant, which Iran reported was struck on March 27, has been significantly damaged. It added that the installation did not contain any declared nuclear material.
The development comes after the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex, located in central Iran, was targeted in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on March 27. According to initial reports, the strikes hit both the heavy water research reactor and the adjacent production plant, including its distillation unit.
Iranian state media reported that there were no casualties at the Khondab site itself. However, separate strikes on other industrial targets on the same day reportedly resulted in fatalities.
The Khondab facility, previously known as Arak, has long been a focal point in international discussions over Iran’s nuclear program.