Iran has claimed that part of its Arak nuclear facility has been struck by US and Israeli forces. Iranian state media said the Khondab heavy water reactor was hit in two separate strikes, but stated there were no casualties.

A political and security deputy in Iran’s Markazi Province said the Khondab Heavy Water Complex, part of the Arak nuclear site, was targeted in two stages by what he described as “American and Zionist enemy” attacks. He added: “These attacks did not result in any human casualties and, due to safety measures that had been put in place in advance, there is no danger threatening the people of the area,” in a statement published on the Telegram channel of Fars News Agency. The IR-40 reactor, also known as the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, is part of Iran’s Arak nuclear complex near the city of Arak. The 40-megawatt facility, located alongside a heavy water production plant built in the 1990s, was rendered inoperable in 2015 after its core was removed and filled with concrete under the nuclear deal.

While Iran says the Khondab facility is intended for research and the production of medical isotopes, the heavy water reactor at the site has long been viewed as sensitive by Western powers due to its potential to produce plutonium that could be used in nuclear weapons.

The reactor was redesigned under the 2015 nuclear deal to limit that capability, after concerns over its original design.

However, it had not been fuelled and was not operational, meaning there was no risk of radioactive contamination from any strike.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization also said a uranium-related facility in Ardakan, in Yazd Province, was targeted in a separate development.

The organization said: “The plant in Ardakan, located in Yazd Province, was targeted minutes ago in an attack by the American-Zionist enemy,” adding that no radioactive material was released.

The facility produces “yellowcake”, a concentrated uranium compound used in the early stages of nuclear fuel production.

The Khondab Heavy Water Complex was previously targeted in June 2025, when Israeli fighter jets struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.

At the time, the Israeli army said its fighter jets struck dozens of sites in Iran, including Natanz and the heavy water nuclear reactor.

The military said it specifically targeted “the structure of the reactor’s core seal, which is a key component in plutonium production”.

Iranian media said air defences were activated around the nuclear facility, with two projectiles reported to have struck nearby.

Officials told state television the site had been evacuated ahead of the strikes and that no radiation risk or casualties were recorded, with no damage reported.