Iran FM condemns US-Israel strike near Bushehr, warns of deadly fallout

Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday strongly condemned a joint US–Israeli strike near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, warning that repeated attacks on the facility could trigger “lethal consequences” across West Asia.

Iranian authorities said a projectile struck near the country’s only operational nuclear power plant earlier in the day, killing a security worker and damaging a building at the site. The incident marked the fourth such attack since the escalation of the US–Israel–Iran conflict, according to reports cited by Xinhua News Agency.

In a post on X, Araghchi accused the US and Israel of repeatedly targeting the Bushehr facility, warning that any radioactive fallout would endanger Gulf capitals rather than Tehran. Despite the strike, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the plant’s core operations remain unaffected, with key sections intact.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said no increase in radiation levels had been detected following the attack. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed deep concern, reiterating that nuclear facilities “must never be attacked” and calling for maximum military restraint to avoid a potential nuclear disaster.

Separately, at least five people were reported injured in US–Israeli strikes on petrochemical facilities in Iran’s Khuzestan province, according to Tasnim.

Amid the escalating conflict, Iran’s IRGC Navy said it carried out a drone strike on an Israel-linked commercial vessel at a port in Bahrain, setting it on fire, according to a statement reported by its official outlet Sepah News.

The latest developments come against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions since 28 February, when coordinated US–Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory actions by Tehran and its regional allies targeting American and Israeli interests across the West Asia.

With IANS inputs