There have been no deaths or increases in radiation levels, according to Iran. But the Israeli army did confirm on Friday that it had hit two sites in the Islamic Republic, the heavy water reactor in Arak and a uranium processing plant in the Yazd province, on the 28th day of the war in the Middle East.
“Recently, the Israeli Air Force struck the heavy water reactor in Arak,” the army said in a statement, claiming it was a “key site for the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.” Iranian media had reported “two-stage” strikes on the complex, now known as Khondab.
The Israeli army later released another statement saying it had struck a uranium processing plant in the Yazd province.
Israeli forces “attacked the only plant of its kind in Iran that was used to produce materials needed for the uranium enrichment process.” They added that Israel “will not allow” Iran to “advance in its nuclear weapons program.”
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization had announced Israeli and American strikes on the Ardakan plant, which produces uranium concentrate, a precursor to the enrichment process. The organization assured that this attack did not result in “any release of radioactive materials.”
Arak already targeted in 2025
Israel and the United States accuse the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, while Tehran claims its program is strictly for civilian purposes.
The construction of the Arak heavy water reactor, officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research, began in the 2000s. But the project was suspended in accordance with the 2015 Vienna Agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.
The heart of the Arak reactor was removed and concrete was poured in to render it inoperative. The site had been targeted by Israeli strikes during the twelve-day war in June 2025, between Iran and Israel, in which the United States also conducted bombings.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the heavy water production plant was “damaged” and has not been “fully operational” since. But the Agency reported no access to the site since May 2025.
Since February 28, the Middle East has been engulfed in a war triggered by joint strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, to which Tehran retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several countries in the region.
