Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Sustained No Damage, IAEA Says After Reports of Explosions

An Iranian flag is seen at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant during an official ceremony to kick-start work on a second reactor at the facility, on Nov. 10, 2019. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s nuclear facilities have not sustained any damage following an alleged attack by Israel, the United Nations atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on April 19.

In a post on social media platform X, the IAEA said no nuclear sites were damaged overnight after Iranian media and officials described hearing a small number of explosions in the city of Isfahan.

Isfahan is roughly 450 kilometers south of Tehran and home to an Iranian military airbase and multiple nuclear sites, including its underground Natanz enrichment site, the Associated Press reports.

Iranian officials said the explosions were the result of Iran’s air defenses hitting three drones that were launched by “infiltrators.”

In its post on X, the IAEA added that its director general, Rafael Grossi, “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely.”

Mr. Grossi’s call for restraint comes after reports emerged that Israel had allegedly launched an airstrike on Iran in retaliation for its missile-and-drone attack on Israel on April 13, although government officials have declined to comment on the latest incident.

Iran reportedly shut down airports and airspace over the nation following the alleged strike although they were reopened later on April 19.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon declined to comment when contacted by The Epoch Times, stating “We do not have anything to offer at this time.”

However, both Western and Israeli officials allegedly confirmed the Israeli strike, CNN reported, citing anonymous officials.

Iran’s Strike

It comes after Iran launched more than 170 drones, more than 120 ballistic missiles, and more than 30 cruise missiles at Israel during an earlier strike this month, although almost all were intercepted by Israel and Western allies, including the United Kingdom and Jordan.

The incident prompted Washington to impose new sanctions on Tehran focusing on its missile and drone program, as well as on entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry.

Iran said the attack was in response to a strike on the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, on April 1 that was allegedly conducted by Israeli forces.

Response to Israel Will Be ‘Immediate’

The attack killed two top generals in the IRGC—which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States—and five officers, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was a senior commander of the elite Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria until 2016, and Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahimi, his deputy, according to Iranian officials.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for that strike.

Speaking to CNN on April 19, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran’s response to Israel would be “immediate and at a maximum level,” if the latter were to take further military action against it.

“In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level,” Mr. Amir-Abdollahian said. “If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive, and regretful for them.”

Mr. Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran does not “seek to create tension and crisis or increase such situations in the Middle East” which is already under pressure from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“We sincerely hope the Israeli regime does not repeat the previous egregious error,” he concluded.

Caden Pearson and Reuters contributed to this report.