Key facts
- The US struck the perimeter of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Thursday.
- Iranian state media cited Ehsan Jahanian, deputy governor of Bushehr province, as the source.
- Targeted areas included the nuclear plant's perimeter, a military base in Choghadak, and a fishing pier.
- No immediate casualties were reported.
- The Bushehr plant is Iran's sole civilian nuclear facility.
The United States conducted strikes targeting the perimeter of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Thursday, according to Iranian state media. Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, reported that several areas in the province were hit, including the vicinity of the nuclear facility, a military base in Choghadak, and a fishing pier in the south of the province. Residents in Choghadak, located approximately 20 kilometers from the plant, reported hearing explosions.
Jahanian stated that there were no immediate reports of casualties. The Bushehr facility is Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant and has been previously affected by strikes in its vicinity during the ongoing Middle East war. The UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, had previously warned that attacks near the plant pose a significant danger to nuclear safety.
The strikes occurred amid heightened tensions and renewed fighting between the US and Iran, shortly before the burial of longtime supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iranian officials reported that US attacks over the preceding two days had resulted in 17 fatalities. The Islamic republic claimed to have resumed attacks targeting US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, while sirens were heard in Jordan as the military intercepted missiles launched from Iran. US military officials indicated that Thursday's strikes hit around 90 Iranian military targets.