Tehran (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Thursday, the Israeli military announced it had targeted the Arak nuclear reactor in Iran overnight and hit what it claimed was a nuclear weapons development site near Natanz. Iran has several nuclear facilities, including a partially built heavy-water research reactor, initially known as Arak and now Khondab, Reuters reported.
In early June 2025, Israel conducted an extensive surprise air campaign against numerous Iranian military and nuclear sites in escalation the Israel-Iran conflict. The airstrikes targeted significant nuclear sites, including the Natanz Nuclear Facility, Isfahan uranium conversion site, and other military bases and infrastructure throughout Iran.
How did Iran respond to the Khondab facility attack?
On Thursday morning, Iranian media reported that air defenses were triggered near the Khondab nuclear facility after two projectiles landed in the area. According to Iranian state TV, officials had evacuated the site before the strikes and said there were no signs of radiation or casualties. However, there was no report of any damage.
Why did Israel strike the Arak nuclear reactor?
Israel had previously targeted Natanz during its six-day aerial war with Iran. This site, at the heart of Iran’s nuclear program, contained two enrichment plants in a complex.
Israel’s military strike on Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz targeted the underground uranium enrichment plant directly, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, revising its initial assessment that the plant had been hit only indirectly.
Israel’s military stated that it had targeted the core seal of the reactor in Arak, which it identified as a key part of plutonium production.
Why is the Natanz facility crucial to Iran’s program?
Construction on the reactor was stopped under the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. The reactor’s core was taken out and filled with concrete to render it unusable.
Iran did, however, notify the U.N. nuclear watchdog that it intended to begin reactor operations in 2026. Because heavy-water reactors can readily manufacture plutonium, which may be used to create a bomb’s core like enriched uranium, they pose a risk of nuclear proliferation. Iran claims that the Israeli assaults on its nuclear program are only for peaceful purposes.
