EditStrike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant kills guard as Russia evacuates staff and IAEA sounds alarm
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern” over the incident, stressing that “nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas must never be attacked”
A projectile struck close to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant at Bushehr early on Saturday, killing one security guard and damaging an auxiliary building, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iranian authorities confirmed. It was the fourth such incident near the facility since the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran began on 28 February.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported that the strike, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time, hit near the plant’s perimeter. An auxiliary building sustained damage from shockwaves and shrapnel, but the main reactor and core sections remained unaffected and operational. No increase in radiation levels was detected, according to the IAEA.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed “deep concern” over the incident, stressing that “nuclear power plant sites or nearby areas must never be attacked.” He noted that auxiliary buildings may house vital safety equipment and reiterated calls for “maximum military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident.”
In response, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom immediately began evacuating 198 more of its specialists from the site – the largest single wave since the conflict escalated. Buses carrying the staff headed toward the Iranian-Armenian border, with plans for them to fly home via Yerevan. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev described the situation as unfolding according to a “worst-case scenario” and said the risk of a nuclear incident is rising. Earlier evacuations had already removed hundreds of Russian personnel; only a small group of volunteers is expected to remain to maintain basic operations.
Moscow has issued sharp warnings. The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the strike as an “atrocity” that caused loss of life and warned that the situation around Bushehr is approaching a “dangerous line.” Rosatom has repeatedly cautioned that any direct hit on the plant could trigger a regional-scale radiological disaster.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a pointed warning to Gulf neighbors, stating that continued attacks could release radioactive fallout that would “end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran.” Located on the Persian Gulf coast, Bushehr sits far closer to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and other desalination-dependent states than to Tehran. Any contamination of Gulf waters would pose an acute threat to drinking-water supplies across the region.
The episode underscores growing international anxiety over the safety of civilian nuclear infrastructure amid the widening conflict, even as both sides insist the strikes have not yet compromised the reactor itself.
With Reuters, Aljazeera.com, UN press releases
Caption: A photo of the Bushehr nuclear power plant posted by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X.
Updated: April 5, 2026 - 10:26
