US strikes deliberately avoided Iran’s Isfahan reactors: Bloomberg
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While targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, US airstrikes deliberately avoided operational reactors at Isfahan, according to a Bloomberg report.
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The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran on November 5, 2019. (AP)
Despite the US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, satellite imagery indicates that reactors at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center were deliberately spared, Bloomberg reported on Monday, adding that the facility, which includes three operational research reactors, remained undamaged according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
US officials stated that a full damage assessment will take time, but early analysis suggests deliberate efforts to avoid irradiating active reactor cores. Four senior officials in Vienna confirmed that the Isfahan reactors were not targeted, citing risks of a nuclear incident.
According to Bloomberg, the IAEA Board of Governors convened an emergency session in Vienna to discuss the strikes, emphasizing that hitting operational reactors, even low-powered ones, could set a dangerous precedent. That said, agency inspectors also requested updated information from Iran on the location of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Iran responds to US airstrikes with missile launch
Iranian officials warned that the attacks have undermined global efforts to control nuclear proliferation. Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, stated that the strikes dealt an "irreparable blow" to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), calling its framework ineffective. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at a US air base in Qatar.
The IAEA highlighted that the sites hit by the US contained enriched uranium, raising concerns about localized radioactive and chemical contamination. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that a direct strike on Iran’s only power reactor in Bushehr could have led to a severe radioactive release.
Though the Isfahan reactors were not damaged, Bloomberg mentioned that the attack targeted adjacent buildings, possibly used by nuclear personnel. Analysts suggested these structures served operational support functions.
The strikes, carried out with B-2 stealth bombers using GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, also hit Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordow. Satellite images showed collapsed tunnel entrances and craters at Fordow.
Minor damage to nuclear sites, says Iran
Iranian authorities stated early Sunday that the US attacks caused no radiation leaks or risk to surrounding populations and confirmed that the structural integrity of the targeted sites remained intact.
Iran’s National Nuclear Safety System Center, which operates under Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, reported that monitoring systems had not detected any radioactive contamination at the Fordow, Natanz, or Isfahan nuclear facilities. The agency affirmed that all systems were operating normally and that the situation was under control.
"There is therefore no danger for the inhabitants living around the ... sites," it stressed.
Manan Raeisi, a member of Iran's parliament representing Qom, the province where the Fordow facility is located, affirmed that "preliminary inspections at the strike locations confirm there is no nuclear radiation," asserting that claims made by US officials, particularly US President Donald Trump, were misleading.
“Based on verified information, I can say that contrary to the American president’s false claims, the Fordow facility did not suffer significant damage. Most of the impact was surface-level and easily repairable,” Raeisi said.
