Iranian FM condemns US-Israeli strike near Bushehr plant, warns of lethal regional consequences

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned a US-Israeli strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant earlier in the day and warned of its potential lethal consequences for the West Asia region.

Earlier, Tehran confirmed that a projectile hit near Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant on Saturday morning, killing one security worker and damaging a building on the site. It marked the fourth such attack since the US-Israel-Iran conflict began, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a post on social media platform X, Araghchi said “Israel-US have bombed our Bushehr plant four times now. Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran.”

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the strike did not disrupt operations in the plant, as its main sections remain intact.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no increase in radiation levels reported following the strike.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed his deep concern about the incident, stressing that nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas “must never be attacked.” He urged maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.

At least five people were injured in US-Israeli attacks on several petrochemical companies in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Araghchi said Tehran seeks to secure the terms of a “conclusive and lasting” end to the US and Israeli war imposed on the country.

Iran’s IRGC Navy said it had hit an Israel-linked vessel with a drone, setting it on fire. Meanwhile, in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC confirmed the attack, saying its forces had targeted an Israeli-owned commercial ship in a port in Bahrain.

The development came amid heightened regional tensions following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on February 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and US interests across the Middle East.

IANS