VIENNA, June 23: The UN nuclear watchdog announced Monday that Iran’s Fordow nuclear site has seemingly suffered a very significant amount of underground damage following the US air strikes, given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges.
At an emergency meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, the agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi stated that craters are now visible at the Fordow site, indicating the use of ground-penetrating munitions. The IAEA’s findings are consistent with the statements from the United States.
“At this time, no one – including the IAEA – is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow,” Grossi added.
At the Esfahan nuclear site, additional buildings were hit by the U.S. cruise missiles, Grossi said. Affected buildings include some related to the uranium conversion process.
Also at this site, entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit.
At the Natanz enrichment site, the Fuel Enrichment Plant was hit by the US ground-penetrating munitions, Grossi said.
“Iran has informed the IAEA that there was no increase in off-site radiation levels at all three sites,” Grossi confirmed. (UNI)
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