Reuters: Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites Spark Fears of Contamination, but Risks Remain Low

In a dramatic escalation, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. military strikes, alongside Israeli attacks launched on June 13, had “obliterated” Iran’s key nuclear facilities, including the deeply buried Fordow site. The strikes targeted uranium enrichment plants at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, as well as other nuclear complexes in Arak and Tehran. While Trump’s rhetoric suggested total destruction, experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) paint a more nuanced picture, emphasizing that the risk of nuclear contamination from these attacks remains minimal, so far.

The IAEA reported no elevated radiation levels off-site following the U.S. strikes, and analysts say the nature of the targeted facilities, mostly involved in the early stages of the nuclear fuel cycle, limits the potential for a radiological disaster. Yet, across the Gulf, nations heavily reliant on desalinated water are on edge, particularly over the possibility of a strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, which could unleash catastrophic consequences, according to a Reuters report.

What’s Been Hit?

The U.S. and Israel have zeroed in on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, striking facilities critical to its uranium enrichment program. Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, where uranium is processed into fuel for reactors or, potentially, weapons, have borne the brunt of the attacks. Israel also hit the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor in Arak, which was under construction and contained no nuclear material, according to the IAEA, as well as a nearby heavy-water production plant. Additional strikes targeted centrifuge production sites in Karaj and Tehran.

Both Israel and the U.S. justify the attacks as a necessary step to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, a goal Tehran has consistently denied pursuing. The IAEA has documented damage at several sites but says none of the strikes have triggered radiological leaks.

How Dangerous Are These Attacks?

Experts interviewed by Reuters before the U.S. strikes downplayed the contamination risks from Israel’s earlier attacks. Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London, explained that facilities like Natanz and Fordow, which handle uranium hexafluoride (UF6), pose primarily chemical, not radiological, threats. “When UF6 interacts with water vapor in the air, it produces harmful chemicals,” she said. “But in underground facilities, the risk of widespread dispersal is lower.”

Simon Bennett, head of the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester, added that subterranean sites like Fordow are unlikely to release significant contaminants because debris from strikes would be trapped under “thousands of tons of concrete, earth, and rock.” James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that uranium before it enters a reactor is “barely radioactive” and that UF6, while toxic, doesn’t travel far. He called the strikes on enrichment facilities “unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences” but expressed opposition to Israel’s campaign.

The Bushehr Wild Card

The real fear lies with Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast. On June 19, panic briefly gripped the region when Israel mistakenly announced it had struck a site in Bushehr, only to retract the claim. Israeli officials have since emphasized their intent to avoid a nuclear disaster.

Richard Wakeford, an honorary professor of epidemiology at the University of Manchester, warned that while enrichment facility strikes pose “mainly a chemical problem,” damage to a large reactor like Bushehr could release radioactive elements into the air or sea, with devastating effects. Acton described a potential attack on Bushehr as a “radiological catastrophe” in waiting.

Why the Gulf Is on Edge

For Gulf states, the stakes are uniquely high. Countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates rely almost entirely on desalinated Gulf water for drinking. A strike on Bushehr could contaminate this vital resource, triggering a humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia, with greater groundwater reserves, still draws about half its water from desalination, according to 2023 data.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is monitoring for environmental contamination and has emergency plans to protect water and food security, a source told Reuters. So far, no radiological fallout has been detected. But Nidal Hilal, director of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Water Research Center, underscored the vulnerability of coastal desalination plants to regional hazards, including potential nuclear contamination. “If a targeted attack disrupted a desalination plant,” he said, “hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly.”

As tensions simmer, the Gulf watches warily, hoping the conflict doesn’t spiral into an environmental nightmare.