The Israel Defense Forces released video footage this morning confirming an airstrike on Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, a facility that Israeli officials say posed a future proliferation risk.
The target, located approximately 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran, was reportedly struck to disrupt Iran’s potential plutonium production capabilities.
According to the IDF, the precision strike was aimed at a reactor component “intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development.”
In a statement, the IDF said: “The reactor is designed for the production of high-grade plutonium, which would allow the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Despite various agreements, in recent years the Iranian regime facilitated the conversion of the reactor into a low-plutonium-production facility, which would not allow the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The regime deliberately ordered the halt of this conversion—meant to prevent its use for nuclear weapons—in order to pressure the West.”
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— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 19, 2025
“The attack was carried out against the component intended for plutonium production, preventing its reuse for manufacturing nuclear weapons,” the statement added.
The Arak reactor, which remains under construction, had been scheduled by Iran to begin operations next year, according to notifications previously provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Israeli officials argue that despite the partial build status, the site retained the potential to generate weapons-grade plutonium once active.
Heavy water reactors such as the one at Arak produce plutonium as a byproduct when used to cool nuclear cores. That material, under specific reprocessing conditions, can be used in nuclear weapons. The Arak facility is widely seen by Western analysts as a second potential path for Iran to develop a nuclear device, aside from uranium enrichment.
The strike comes amid heightened regional tensions following a wave of Israeli air operations across Iranian military sites and infrastructure linked to weapons development. The Israeli military has not disclosed the exact method of the attack or whether drones or fighter aircraft were used in the operation.
The Arak reactor was one of the key points addressed in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal. Under that agreement, Iran committed to redesigning the reactor core to minimize plutonium output and agreed to oversight measures intended to reduce the risk of weaponization. However, since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and the collapse of related negotiations, Iran has resumed construction and limited its cooperation with international monitors.
While the full impact of the Israeli strike on the facility’s future operability remains unclear, the IDF stated that the operation was intended as a preventative measure. Israeli officials have consistently warned that Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure poses a direct threat to regional stability, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously stated that Israel will not allow Iran to reach nuclear breakout capability.