Israel Bombs Iran’s Heavy Nuclear Facility, New Report Confirms

• Israel's military strike on Thursday, June 19, reportedly hit Iran's Arak heavy water reactor that was still under construction
• Israel's seventh day of airstrikes on Iran came a day after Iran's supreme leader rejected the US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them"
• Under a 2015 deal with major powers, the plant was redesigned to reduce the proliferation risk and its core was removed and filled with concrete

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

An emerging report on Thursday, June 19, 2025, disclosed that Israeli jets have bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in central Iran during a wave of air strikes on the seventh day of the conflict between the two countries.

Israel strike hits Iran's nuclear reactor

As reported by the BBC, the Israeli military stated that it targeted the core seal of the Arak heavy water reactor to prevent its use in the development of nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the reactor was hit and that it contained no nuclear material.

Spent fuel from heavy water reactors contains plutonium that can be used to produce nuclear weapons. The report was also confirmed by Yahoo News.

What to know about Iran's nuclear programme

Iran, which says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, agreed under a 2015 deal with world powers to redesign and rebuild Arak so it could not produce weapons-grade plutonium.

The following year, the IAEA said Iran had removed Arak's calandria, or reactor core, and rendered it "inoperable".

The latest quarterly report by the global nuclear watchdog, released in late May 2025, noted that minor civil construction work was ongoing at the reactor. It also stated that Iran expected the facility to be commissioned later this year and to begin operations in 2026.

Why Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facility

The Israeli military said Iran's government had "deliberately ordered [workers] not to complete the conversion... in order to exert pressure on the West".

"The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development," it added.

Trump to decide US stance on Iran

Meanwhile, the White House earlier announced that US President Donald Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether the United States will become involved in the Israel-Iran conflict.

White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt disclosed this during a press briefing on Thursday, 19 June. The announcement comes as Israel’s Defence Minister reaffirmed that one of the country’s war objectives is the “elimination” of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Read more about Iran vs Israel conflict

• Iran warns Trump against US involvement in Israel strikes
• Just in: Iran presses on with attacks, missile hits Israeli hospital as tension grows, video emerges
• Israel vs Iran: Primate Ayodele mentions actual devil's country, video trends
• Iran unleashes ballistic missile capable of flying 15 times the speed of sound against Israel

Middle East war: Iran's ally warns US

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Iran’s Guardian Council warned the United States that any support for Israel in the ongoing conflict would trigger a harsh response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Iran would pay a “very heavy price” for the missile strike that killed civilians.

The United Nations condemned the growing civilian toll in the Iran-Israel conflict, while Iran arrested 24 people accused of spying for Israel.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng