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Japan Today
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites pose limited radiation risks
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025. (Maxar Technologies via AP) By BASSEM MROUE and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN With the United States joining Israel in its attacks on Iran's nuclear program, here is what we know about the radiation threat, and other health risks. Iran enriches uranium at two key sites, Natanz and Fordo. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces struck both sites, along with a third site, Isfahan, early Sunday, and Iran's state-run IRNA news agency confirmed the strikes. It was not immediately clear if radiation had been released by those strikes, but the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said it did not detect major releases from earlier Israeli strikes, and experts said the risks of a major release are relatively low. The Islamic Republic's leaders say their nuclear program is for the peaceful purpose of harnessing atomic energy. But highly enriched uranium — which is radioactive — is used in the manufacture of atomic weapons, and Israel is determined to prevent Iran from having them. At Natanz, some 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, uranium had been enriched to up to 60% purity — a mildly radioactive level and a short step away from weapons grade — before Israel destroyed the aboveground part of the facility in earlier strikes, according to the IAEA. Another part of the Natanz facility is below ground, and where most of its centrifuges are to protect them from airstrikes. The IAEA said it believes that most if not all of these centrifuges were destroyed by an Israeli strike that cut off power to the site. These centrifuges had been enriching up to 5% purity, according to experts. While radiological and chemical contamination are likely inside Natanz, radiation levels outside the complex remain normal, Rafael Grossi, chief of the IAEA, said during an urgent session of the IAEA board on June 16. The Fordo nuclear enrichment site is buried deep below a mountain, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, and is close to the Shiite holy city of Qom. Iran produces most of its near weapons-grade material there — and for that reason it is considered a high-value target for the Israelis. But its location deep underground makes it difficult to attack, which is why the U.S. apparently deployed powerful 'bunker buster' bombs in Sunday's strikes. Even so, experts said any potential radiation impact from a strike on Fordo is likely to be similar to the impact at Natanz. In short, there would be some chemical hazards on site, and some radiation, but at levels that would be manageable with respiratory devices and other protective gear. Israel also previously struck four buildings at the Isfahan nuclear site, among them a uranium conversion facility. The IAEA said there has been no sign of increased radiation at Isfahan, which is roughly 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Tehran. Even if radiation did leak from one of the sites, experts said, the amount would be unlikely to pose a risk to people near the facilities or in the wider region. 'Very little uranium will be released in these kind of attacks,' said David Albright, a physicist and nuclear weapons expert who founded the Institute for Science and International Security, based in Washington, D.C. Uranium itself is not especially toxic, he said, and is common in parts of the environment. A person standing near an enrichment facility with a leak would probably be exposed to no more radiation than someone who took several trans-Atlantic flights, which receive slightly higher radiation because radiation doses are larger at high altitudes, he said. In order to become sick, someone would have to ingest large quantities of uranium, Albright said, pointing out that the element can be found naturally in seawater and the earth's crust. Rather than radiation, experts said the greater risk from any attack on nuclear enrichment sites might be from fluorine gas. Fluorine is mixed with a concentrated form of uranium to create uranium hexafluoride, which is then fed into centrifuges. Fluorine is extremely volatile, will quickly corrode and can burn the skin. It is especially deadly if inhaled. A far greater concern to the public would be if Israel were to attack Iran's only commercial nuclear power plant, said Fabian Hinz of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. In a nuclear power plant, the reactor core and the spent nuclear fuel are the most radioactive components. Some of it remains dangerous for thousands of years. The Bushehr power plant is 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Tehran. But 'it seems very unlikely that the Israelis are going to strike' Bushehr, Hinz said, because it isn't considered to be part of the Iranian nuclear program geared toward developing weapons. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Europe and Iran will try diplomacy as U.S. weighs joining fight with Israel
By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN and SAM McNEIL Iran's foreign minister will meet in Geneva on Friday with counterparts from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, Iranian state media and European diplomats said, as Israeli airstrikes target his country's nuclear and military sites and Iran fires back. Europe's push for diplomacy is in sharp contrast to messages from Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump openly weighing bombing Iran and calling for the unconditional surrender of the Iranian leadership. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva for the meetings Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. European diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential talks, confirmed the meetings. 'All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy," read a joint statement issued Wednesday by France, Germany, the UK and the EU. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The meeting in Geneva could also provide the three European nations and the EU with a unique opportunity to reach out to Iran in what is going to be the first face-to-face meeting between Western officials and Tehran since the start of the conflict a week ago. It's a timely moment for Europe to test the chances for a diplomatic solution and seek Iran's positions amid escalating rhetoric between the U.S. and Iran. 'The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be through a negotiated deal,' said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesperson for the European Commission. 'This is why an intense outreach activity involving all relevant sides is currently underway to preserve room for diplomacy and create the conditions for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.' Germany's foreign minister has underlined European countries' willingness to talk to Iran about a solution to its nuclear program, but says there needs to be movement from Tehran. Johann Wadephul said Wednesday that the three European countries 'still stand ready to negotiate on a solution.' But he added: 'Iran must now move urgently. Iran must take confidence-building and verifiable measures – for example, in that the leadership in Tehran makes it credible that it is not striving for a nuclear weapon.' Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz also discussed the Israel-Iran conflict with Qatar's ruler ahead of the Geneva talks. A statement from the chancellor's office said he and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani agreed Thursday that the conflict must not expand to other countries in the region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and Europeans partners are ready to 'resume negotiations' with Iran. Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting. Iranian authorities' message was 'relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,' Barrot said in a news conference in Paris. 'On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program and its activities to destabilize the region,' Barrot said. Trump has given increasingly pointed warnings about the U.S. joining Israel in striking at Tehran's nuclear program even as Iran's leader warned anew that the United States would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it attacks. A U.S. official said Wednesday there are no plans for U.S. involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the U.S. That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is flying to Washington on Thursday to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The U.S. may want to use the UK-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a potential strike on Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo but is not believed to have requested to do so yet. Lammy is also expected to attend the talks in Geneva on Friday. The Foreign Office said Lammy stands 'ready to support talks to press for a diplomatic solution.' Israel asserts it launched its airstrike campaign last week to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. It came as Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader rejectedU.S. calls for surrender in the face of more Israeli strikes Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' Iran long has insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, was still conducting inspections, though limited, in the country. U.S. intelligence agencies as well have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Lorne Cooke in Brussels, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Matt Lee in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
