Iran accuses US and Israel of attacking Natanz nuclear facility

2026-03-02 - 22:52

Iran's nuclear agency chief revealed Monday that US and Israeli forces targeted the country's Natanz nuclear facility in two separate attacks over the weekend, further escalating the military confrontation that has engulfed the Middle East. Mohammad Eslami communicated the allegations in a letter to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, according to Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency. Formal complaint to IAEA "The criminal regimes of the United States and Israel, pursuing their aggression, again targeted the Natanz nuclear site on Sunday afternoon in two brutal attacks," Eslami wrote in his letter to Grossi. The Iranian official urged the IAEA to end what he described as its inaction in the face of attacks on nuclear facilities as soon as possible, demanding that the agency "must condemn these actions." The complaint represents Iran's formal diplomatic response to strikes on what it considers sovereign infrastructure protected under international norms. Escalating regional conflict The alleged targeting of Natanz comes amid a major military confrontation triggered by coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began Saturday, which killed several top Iranian leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, striking US military assets and energy facilities in at least eight countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. The conflict has now drawn in multiple fronts, with Hezbollah engaging Israeli forces along Lebanon's border and Gulf states intercepting Iranian projectiles. Nuclear dimensions of conflict The reported attacks on Natanz introduce a potentially dangerous new dimension to the conflict. The facility, located approximately 250 kilometers south of Tehran, houses Iran's main uranium enrichment capabilities and has been a focal point of international concern over Iran's nuclear program. Previous cyberattacks, including the Stuxnet worm widely attributed to US-Israeli operations, have targeted Natanz, but direct military strikes on the facility would represent a significant escalation. As the IAEA faces pressure to respond, the international community confronts the prospect of a regional war now touching sensitive nuclear infrastructure.