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Attacking Iran’s nuclear reactors could trigger radiation leaks, the United Nations watchdog says.

Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned against attacks on Iran’s nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr.

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“I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment,” said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. “This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences could be most serious.”

Israel has not targeted Iran’s nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country’s Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets.

After initially reporting no visible damage from Israel’s Thursday strikes on the Arak heavy water reactor, the IAEA said on Friday that it had assessed “key buildings at the facility were damaged”, including the distillation unit.

The reactor was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so the damage posed no risk of contamination, the watchdog said.

Although strikes on uranium enrichment facilities such as Natanz can carry the risk of radiological contamination, experts say the chance of a serious incident is far lower than at reactors such as the Russian-built Bushehr power plant.

Associated Press