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IAEA: Iran’s heavy water plant ‘no longer operational’ after IDF hits

The complex was “designed to have the capability to produce weapons-grade plutonium,” the IDF said.

The Arak nuclear plant, an Iranian 40-megawatt (thermal) heavy-water reactor. Credit: Nanking2012 via Wikimedia Commons.
The Arak nuclear plant, an Iranian 40-megawatt (thermal) heavy-water reactor. Credit: Nanking2012 via Wikimedia Commons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Sunday confirmed that the heavy water production plant at Khondab, near Arak, which Iran reported had been attacked on March 27, has sustained severe damage.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said that the facility “is no longer operational,” adding that the site contains no declared nuclear material.

The plant was struck during “Operation Rising Lion” in June.

However, the Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that it was hit once more after efforts to fix damage were detected by the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The facility was struck during three waves of attacks across Iran on March 27, carried out by more than 50 Israeli Air Force aircraft.

The plant was originally “designed to have the capability to produce weapons-grade plutonium. These materials are also used as a source for extracting neutrons for nuclear weapons. In addition, the plant served as a significant economic asset for the terrorist regime and was a source of income for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization. Its operations generated tens of millions of dollars annually for the regime,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement over the weekend.

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“Your ability to find the strength to rise above the pain, to combat the immediate threat to your life, and to operate sound judgment demonstrates the strength of your character,” Israel’s president wrote.
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Israel assailed the decision as a “grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.”