Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has sounded fresh alarm over the safety of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, warning of a direct and growing threat to the facility as strikes in its vicinity continue to mount.
Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of a third attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant within 10 days, triggering an urgent personnel response.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev stated that the situation around Bushehr continues to develop along a negative trajectory, with a shell striking the area near the pump station in the immediate vicinity of the operating first power unit.
The scale of risk is significant. Likhachev previously warned that the reactor is currently running at full capacity, containing 72 tonnes of fuel and an additional 210 tonnes of spent fuel making any direct strike a potential regional-scale disaster.
Rosatom leadership has urged President Putin to stress to all parties including Israel, the US, and Gulf states the unacceptability of strikes on a nuclear facility.
Bushehr, Iran’s only operational civilian nuclear plant, was built and is serviced by Russia under a bilateral agreement. Construction of two additional units at the site has been suspended due to ongoing attacks, though Russian specialists have remained on-site for maintenance work.