JERUSALEM: The Israeli military confirmed it struck a heavy water reactor and a uranium processing plant in central Iran on Friday, as it targeted nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.
“A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force... struck the heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran,” the military said in a statement, describing the site as a “key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons.”
Iranian media had earlier reported that US-Israeli strikes hit the Khondab heavy water complex, saying they caused no casualties or radiation leak from the site.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Tehran would exact a "HEAVY price for Israeli crimes" in response.
Work on the reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of a now-abandoned 2015 nuclear deal struck between Iran and world powers.
The core of the reactor was removed and concrete was poured into it, rendering it inoperative.
The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research and the site includes a production plant for heavy water.
The Israeli military also confirmed it struck a uranium processing site in central Iran’s Yazd on Friday, after the Islamic republic’s atomic energy organization said US-Israeli strikes hit the facility.
“A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force... struck a uranium extraction plant located in Yazd, central Iran,” the military said in a statement, describing the site as a “unique facility in Iran used for the production of raw materials required for the uranium enrichment process.”
Iran’s atomic energy organization said the strike on the plant “did not result in the release of any radioactive material.”
Israel and the US accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, while Tehran maintains that its program is for civilian purposes.
The heavy water plant in Arak was targeted by Israeli strikes during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last June, during which the US also carried out bombings.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the site was “damaged” during the attacks and “is assessed not to have been fully operational since that time.”
But the agency said it has not had access to the site since May 2025.
Earlier, US-Israeli airstrikes on Friday damaged two major steel plants in Iran, Iranian media reports said.
The attacks "targeted the Khuzestan Steel (in southwest Iran) and Mobarakeh Steel factories in Isfahan (central Iran) in two separate attacks,” the Fars news agency said, with state broadcaster IRIB also reporting the strikes.
“Rescue forces have immediately arrived at the scene of the incident,” Fars wrote.
The news agency added that initial information suggested an “electrical substation and an alloy steel production line” were targeted at Mobarakeh Steel complex, while a warehouse was hit at the Khuzestan Steel Factory.
Steel is a strategically important material essential for industrial and military production, including of missiles, drones and ships.
Israel’s military said its other attacks on Friday targeted sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran.
The Middle East was plunged into war on February 28 when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several countries in the region.
