Iran's Arak Nuclear Site Suffered Massive Damage After Israeli Strikes, Satellite Images Show
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Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium.
Satellite images confirmed that Israel's recent airstrikes had caused significant damage to Iran's heavy water reactor facility at Arak, also known as Khondab, roughly 250 kilometres southwest of Tehran, amid an escalating conflict between the two arch-foes.
The Israeli military said it targeted the Arak heavy water reactor's core seal to stop it being used for 'nuclear weapons development". The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the reactor was hit and that it contained no nuclear material.
The satellite images by Maxar Technologies provided the most detailed visual confirmation of the level of damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the Arak facility, which reportedly has the capacity to produce plutonium, a key element in building a nuclear weapon.
A large hole was visible in the reactor building, along with destroyed distillation towers belonging to the adjacent heavy water production plant, BBC reported quoting experts.
⭕This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb.It has now been neutralized. Here is a closer look at the reactor itself: pic.twitter.com/4KBDsgp8IN
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 19, 2025
Iran decided to build the heavy water plant after the devastating war with Iraq in the 1980s. Heavy water is water in which hydrogen is replaced by deuterium and is used as a coolant for heavy water reactors.
However, Iran agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to alleviate proliferation concerns. That included pouring concrete into part of it, though the overall work was never completed.
The Arak reactor became a point of contention after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. Ali Akbar Salehi, a high-ranking nuclear official in Iran, claimed on Iranian state television in 2019 that Tehran bought extra parts to replace the portion of the reactor into which officials poured concrete.
⭕This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb.It has now been neutralized. Here is a closer look at the reactor itself: pic.twitter.com/4KBDsgp8IN
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 19, 2025
Israel's military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium. 'The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development," it said.
The Israeli military also struck a 'nuclear weapons development site" at the Natanz nuclear site, which is the main plant producing enriched uranium. Israel says its main goal was to stop Iran for producing a nuclear weapon.
(with agency inputs)
First Published:
June 20, 2025, 12:06 IST
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