The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday there were no radiological consequences from Israel’s strike on Iran’s Khondab reactor, as tensions over Iranian nuclear facilities intensified.

IAEA Confirms No Nuclear Material Hit

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Khondab heavy water reactor near Arak was still under construction and held no nuclear material at the time of the strike. “There were no radiological effects,” the IAEA said, adding that Iran’s adjacent heavy water production facility also appeared undamaged.

This comes after Israel claimed to have targeted the Arak facility overnight to destroy “components intended for plutonium production,” which it said could be restored and used in nuclear weapons development.

Iranian and Israeli Accounts Diverge

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the strike, reporting that two projectiles hit the Arak site while other incoming attacks were intercepted. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency published the statement on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military also announced it had struck another facility near Natanz, alleging it housed specialized equipment related to nuclear weapons production.

Strategic Escalation Around Nuclear Infrastructure

The attack marks a significant escalation in Israel’s campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear development capabilities. The Natanz and Arak-Khondab complexes are among the most scrutinized components of Iran’s nuclear program, long suspected by Western and Israeli intelligence of having potential weapons applications despite Iran’s denials.

Iran's nuclear sites have been under close international inspection since the 2015 nuclear deal, which limited Iran’s enrichment capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, that deal has been eroding since the U.S. withdrawal in 2018. Israel has vowed not to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and has periodically targeted Iranian facilities with cyberattacks and covert sabotage.