UN nuclear watchdog says radiation levels in Gulf remain normal after Iran's nuke sites hit by Israel, US
International Radiation Monitoring System, which includes 48 countries, shows no significant radioactive release from Iran's nuclear facilities, says International Atomic Energy Agency chief
ISTANBUL
Following the 12-day Israel-Iran war, which was later joined by the US on the Tel Aviv side, radiation levels in the Gulf region have remained within normal limits after Iranian nuclear sites were severely damaged, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement on Friday.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said data from the International Radiation Monitoring System, which includes 48 countries, showed no significant radioactive release from Iran's nuclear facilities.
“From a nuclear safety perspective, Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the Tehran Research Reactor represented our main concern, as any strike affecting those facilities—including their off-site power lines—could have caused a radiological accident with potential consequences in Iran as well as beyond its borders in the case of the Bushehr plant. It did not happen, and the worst nuclear safety scenario was thereby avoided,” Grossi said.
He noted that localized radioactive releases may have occurred within the targeted nuclear facilities due to Israeli and US strikes, but emphasized that no increased off-site radiation levels have been reported.
Grossi also reiterated that "nuclear facilities should never be attacked" and underscored the importance of the Agency’s continued verification activities in Iran, as mandated under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.
Israel launched an attack on Iran on June 13, and Tehran responded less than 24 hours later with counterattacks.
Nine days after the escalation began, the US joined the conflict on Israel's side, with American forces striking three Iranian nuclear targets overnight on June 22.
Later that evening, Iran launched missile strikes on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US air base in the Middle East.
According to official statements from Washington, the strikes caused no casualties or significant damage. Following that, President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete cease-fire, which went into effect on June 24.
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