Iran says US strikes hit perimeter of Bushehr nuclear plant

Projectiles struck the outer perimeter of Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant on Thursday, according to Iranian officials, in the latest escalation of hostilities between Washington and Tehran that has further unraveled a three-week-old ceasefire.

Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, said "several areas in Bushehr province were targeted today, including the perimeter of the nuclear power plant, a military base in the town of Choghadak and a fishing pier in the south of the province," adding that there were no casualties reported. Iranian authorities later confirmed that no direct damage was caused to the plant's reactor complex.arabnews+2

US Denies Involvement as Explosions Rock Southern Iran

Explosions were heard across Iran's southern Bushehr province on the evening of July 8, according to semi-official Iranian media. However, a US defense official told Al Jazeera that American forces were "not at this hour" conducting military strikes, while two US officials separately told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the American military was "not currently conducting strikes". The ambiguity left open the possibility of Israeli involvement, with Iranian officials attributing the attacks to "US-Israeli projectiles."cnn+2

Al Jazeera reported that US strikes across Bushehr province damaged civilian infrastructure including areas near the nuclear plant, airports, and fishing wharfs where several boats caught fire. The US maintained that its strikes in the region were aimed at military targets.aljazeera

International Response and Rosatom's Return

The IAEA, which has confirmed the impact of previous strikes near the Bushehr facility earlier this year, said it is closely monitoring the situation. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly called for "maximum restraint to avoid nuclear safety risks during conflict".reuters+1

In a separate development, Russia's Rosatom announced on Thursday that the first six employees have begun returning to the Bushehr plant, according to Russia's RIA news agency, citing Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev. The state nuclear corporation had previously evacuated hundreds of workers after US strikes began and had signaled plans to return staff by mid-July if conditions remained stable.english.alarabiya+2

The strikes came as part of a broader exchange of fire between US and Iranian forces. Reuters reported that Iranian armed forces retaliated by targeting US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain on Thursday, while Iran also fired 10 missiles at Jordan. Iran's Health Ministry said 14 people had been killed across five provinces during two days of US attacks.reuters+2