Two nuclear sites in Iran – an idle reactor and a uranium processing plant – were attacked in Israeli strikes on Friday.
The strikes were the first major assault on Iran's nuclear industry during the current war, and came hours after Israel said it would “escalate and expand” its campaign to new targets.
One attack struck the Arak heavy water reactor, a type of nuclear reactor. A production unit nearby was hit “several times”, local official Hassan Qamari told state media.
A second attack struck the Ardakan yellowcake factory in Yazd. Yellowcake is a form of processed uranium. The plant is supplied by the nearby Saghand uranium mine.
The Arak reactor is not believed to be operational. Mr Qamari said there was no radiation risk and “people should not be worried at all”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes and attacks on an Iranian steel plant as a contradiction to US President Donald Trump's 10-day extension to reach a deal.
"Israel claims it acted in co-ordination with the US," Mr Araghchi said on X. "Attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy."
The Israeli military confirmed the strikes, claiming Iran had made “repeated reconstruction attempts” at Arak since the site was hit during last year's 12-day war.
It accused Iran of evading commitments to convert the Arak site so that it could not produce weapons-grade plutonium. The yellowcake factory was the only one of its kind in Iran, the Israeli army said.
In separate incidents, Iran said at least three people were killed in attacks on a steel factory in Isfahan and a cement factory mine in Firuzabad on Friday.
The Israeli military had told earlier issued orders warning Iranians to flee two areas near Arak, in a sign of impending strikes. It also said the Israeli air force was attacking regime infrastructure “across Iran” based on military intelligence.
The Arak plant was also “a significant economic asset for the terror regime and served as a source of income for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, generating tens of millions of dollars for the regime each year,” the Israeli military said.
Neither of the nuclear sites attacked is known to have an enrichment plant, where uranium can be turned into weapons-grade material.
Attacking Iranian nuclear sites was a prime objective for Israel and the US during last year's war, with Arak among the targets hit. The current campaign has so far had a wider focus on Iran's missiles and military command.
In the past week, Iran and Russia claim munitions have landed close to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was built with Moscow's help. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has called for “maximum restraint” during the conflict.
The Iranian government denies any plans to develop a nuclear weapon. But its activities, including enriching uranium to levels far beyond what is needed for a power plant, have raised suspicion at the IAEA and in western capitals.
Iran has three known enrichment sites, including the underground Natanz plant bombed by the US during last year's war. A fourth is believed to be under construction in Isfahan, but Mr Grossi said this month it was unknown whether centrifuges had been installed or whether it was still an “empty hall”.
