CAIRO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran said the United States and Israel carried out a major airstrike Saturday on Natanz, its primary uranium enrichment facility. Neither government has officially claimed responsibility, while Israeli media suggest the U.S. bombers carried out the strike.
Iran moved swiftly to retaliate, launching ballistic missiles at southern Israeli cities near the country's Negev nuclear research center. The strikes injured almost 200, including children, according to Israeli officials.
The exchange marks a dangerous new phase in a conflict that has already destabilized the broader region, rattled global energy markets, and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil.
STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES
The Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan complex at Natanz, about 220 km southeast of Tehran, has been a central target in Israel-U.S. strikes against Iran. The site houses Iran's main underground uranium enrichment facility and has been struck multiple times: first in June 2025, again in early March 2026, and most recently on Saturday morning. Satellite imagery and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports indicate damage to entrance buildings and support structures at the underground plant.
Earlier in the campaign, Israel claimed that a "covert site" northeast of Tehran, believed to be used for nuclear weapons component development, was hit around March 3.
Strikes in June 2025 also damaged facilities in Fordow and Isfahan, among others, though those sites were not reported to have been hit on Saturday.
IS THERE A RADIATION RISK?
Iranian and international nuclear authorities say the strike on Natanz has posed no radiation risk to the public. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that no radioactive material was released, with monitoring in neighboring countries showing radiation levels remained unchanged.
Still, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged restraint, warning that continued strikes risk triggering a nuclear accident.
Experts noted that Natanz, a uranium enrichment facility, does not have an active nuclear reactor and does not store highly radioactive spent fuel. A strike on an operating reactor, such as the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, would be far more dangerous for surrounding populations, they said.
HOW IS IRAN RESPONDING?
Iran moved quickly to retaliate. On Saturday evening, ballistic missiles struck the southern Israeli towns of Dimona and Arad -- near Israel's Negev nuclear research center, though the facility itself was not hit. Nearly 200 people were injured, including children. Iran's Revolution Guard Corps described the strikes as targeting "military installations."
The attacks are intensifying pressure on Israel's air defense capabilities, as Iranian strikes increasingly test the limits of the country's protective systems.
Iranian officials vowed that the country's nuclear program "will continue" despite the damage, framed all retaliatory strikes as acts of self-defense, and threatened further escalation if attacks persist. ■
