IAEA urges restraint after attack on Iran nuclear plant

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi called today for military restraint after an attack on a nuclear power plant under construction in Iran, which Tehran attributed to the United States.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said earlier today that US forces "in an aggressive and brutal act, contrary to international law, attacked the Darhovin nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction, with multiple missiles."

Washington launched new air strikes on Iran today in response to the deaths of two soldiers in attacks in Jordan, while Tehran continued to target its neighbors, Washington's allies.

The power plant, which has been under construction in southwest Iran since 2022, "is in a very early stage of construction and did not contain nuclear material during the IAEA's last visit," the Vienna-based agency said on its X platform.

The attack therefore does not pose a "radiological risk," the organization added.

However, Grossi reiterated his call for military restraint near all sites linked to the nuclear program.

The IAEA said it had contacted Iran about the attack.

Iran's nuclear program is a major sticking point in negotiations with the United States. Iran denies that it wants to develop nuclear weapons, but maintains that it has the right to develop a full civilian nuclear program.