Strike near Iran's nuclear plant kills staffer; IAEA warns of grave nuclear risk

A fresh projectile strike near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant has killed a security staffer and damaged on-site infrastructure, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday, marking the fourth such incident in recent weeks and intensifying global alarm over the safety of nuclear facilities in conflict zones.

Citing information conveyed by Tehran, the IAEA said a projectile landed close to the plant’s premises earlier in the day, with fragments fatally wounding a member of the facility’s physical protection staff. A building within the site was also affected by shockwaves and debris, though no rise in radiation levels has been detected so far.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed “deep concern” over the incident, reiterating that nuclear power plants and their surrounding areas must never be targeted under any circumstances.

“Even auxiliary buildings may house critical safety systems,” Grossi cautioned, underscoring that any strike—direct or indirect—could compromise essential safeguards and trigger a broader crisis.

He renewed his call for “maximum military restraint” and stressed strict adherence to the agency’s established seven pillars of nuclear safety and security during armed conflict, warning that continued escalation risks pushing the situation into a catastrophic domain.

The latest strike represents a significant escalation from earlier incidents. On March 25, a projectile had struck the Bushehr facility without causing damage or injuries, while a separate attack days earlier targeted the Natanz nuclear facility, a key uranium enrichment site.

Though those incidents did not disrupt operations or cause radiation leaks, the repeated proximity of attacks to sensitive installations has raised the spectre of a potential nuclear emergency.

Experts have consistently warned that even near-misses at nuclear sites carry disproportionate risks. Unlike conventional infrastructure, nuclear facilities are highly sensitive ecosystems where damage to support systems -- cooling, power supply, or containment—— can set off cascading failures with long-term environmental and human consequences.

Located along Iran’s southern coast, the Bushehr plant remains the country’s only operational nuclear power facility and a cornerstone of its civilian energy programme. Any serious breach could have ramifications far beyond Iran’s borders, potentially impacting regional stability and public health.

The IAEA has repeatedly flagged the growing dangers posed by military activity near nuclear installations.