Israel confirms strikes on uranium processing facility in Iran’s Yazd, heavy water plant in Arak

The Israeli military on Friday confirmed that it struck a uranium processing site in Yazd, central Iran, after the Islamic Republic’s atomic energy organisation said US-Israeli strikes hit the facility. “A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force... struck a uranium extraction plant located in Yazd, central Iran,” the military said in a statement, describing the site as a “unique facility in Iran used for the production of raw materials required for the uranium enrichment process.”

The IDF confirmed bombing the yellowcake production plant near the central Iranian city of Yazd, saying it came as part of the ongoing efforts against Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Israeli military describes the site as a “uranium extraction facility.”

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“This facility is the only one of its kind in Iran, where raw materials mined from the ground undergo mechanical and chemical processing so that they can later be used as precursor materials for uranium enrichment,” the IDF said, adding that it is a “highly important process for the nuclear weapons programme advanced by the regime.”

The military said the strikes hit the “central infrastructure used in the site’s unique production processes.”

Iranian media reported earlier that the Ardakan yellowcake production plant was hit in strikes.

Yellowcake is a uranium concentrate in powder form that is produced by mining the uranium ore from rocks and separating the uranium from the rocks by washing them in acid. The yellowcake can then be converted, enriched to raise its purity, and then used for weapons or energy production.

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The Israeli military also confirmed that it had struck a heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran, after Iranian media said US-Israeli strikes hit the Khondab complex.

“A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force... struck the heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran,” the military said in a statement, describing the site as a “key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons.”

Two nuclear facilities attacked, admits Iran

Iranian state media earlier said that two nuclear-related facilities have been attacked in Iran, but there has been no release of radioactive material.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said in a statement on Telegram that the Khondab heavy water complex in north west Iran was attacked by US-Israeli forces, but there were no casualties.

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“The Khondab Heavy Water Complex was targeted in two stages by aggression from the American and Zionist enemy,” said Fars news agency, citing Hassan Ghamari, an official in the central Markazi province.

A second strike hit the Yellowcake production facility in Ardakan, Yazd, with authorities reporting no release of radioactive material beyond the site, according to IRGC-affiliated news agency Fars News.

The Iranian atomic energy organisation said, “The plant in Ardakan, located in Yazd Province, was targeted minutes ago in an attack by the American-Zionist enemy,” it said on its Telegram channel, adding the attack “did not result in the release of any radioactive material.”