UN nuclear watchdog urges restraint, calls for diplomacy to prevent crisis.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has issued a stark warning about the potential nuclear fallout from Israeli military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, cautioning that any further escalation could risk widespread contamination and trigger a regional or even global crisis.
Speaking at an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Grossi confirmed that while there has been no immediate off-site radiological release, the repeated targeting of nuclear sites in Iran has severely degraded nuclear safety and raised the risk of catastrophic consequences.
“These attacks have not yet resulted in radiation affecting the public, but that does not mean the risk is absent,” Grossi said, as reported by Xinhua. “There is both radiological and chemical contamination within some facilities. A single miscalculation could have serious ramifications.”
Grossi specifically noted that Iran’s Natanz facility — which was struck by Israeli forces earlier this month — showed no increase in external radiation levels, but internal assessments revealed contamination from alpha particles and chemical agents. “Alpha radiation is particularly dangerous if inhaled or ingested,” he warned, adding that only specialised protective gear can mitigate the threat.
At the Esfahan site, four buildings sustained damage in the June 13 Israeli airstrike, though no rise in radiation outside the complex was reported. Fordow, Iran’s key site for enriching uranium to 60 per cent, appears to have been untouched so far.
But the gravest concern, Grossi warned, lies with the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant — an operational facility containing large quantities of nuclear material. “A direct hit on Bushehr could cause a significant release of radioactivity,” he said. “Even damaging the two main power lines feeding the plant could cause the reactor’s core to melt, necessitating evacuations and emergency radiation countermeasures extending hundreds of kilometres.”
The IAEA chief said that in such worst-case scenarios, governments would be forced to consider issuing iodine tablets, evacuating cities, and implementing widespread food and water restrictions. “Radiation monitoring would have to cover vast areas, and the human cost could be unimaginable,” he stated.
Grossi also pointed to the risk posed to the Tehran Nuclear Research Reactor. Any strike there, he said, could pose a severe threat to large parts of the capital’s population.
Calling armed attacks on nuclear facilities “entirely unacceptable,” Grossi urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and prioritise diplomatic efforts. “Military escalation threatens lives and undermines our ability to guarantee that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons,” he said.
He reaffirmed the IAEA’s readiness to oversee a comprehensive, verifiable inspections framework that could underpin a lasting diplomatic agreement. “A solution is within reach — but only if the political will is present,” Grossi said. “The alternative is a protracted conflict and the erosion of the global non-proliferation regime.”
Grossi concluded with a plea to avoid actions that could push the region toward a nuclear crisis. “This opportunity for peace must not be missed,” he said, warning that further escalation could unravel decades of international consensus on nuclear containment.
