Why Israel specifically targeted Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor in latest airstrike: Explained

Tehran: On Thursday, Israel launched a targeted airstrike on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, located approximately 280 kilometres southwest of Tehran. The Israeli military stated that the purpose of the strike was to halt any potential plutonium production, which could be used in nuclear weapons development.

The attack forms part of a broader offensive against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure during the ongoing military escalation between the two countries.

The Arak Nuclear Complex comprises a heavy water experimental reactor and an adjacent production plant. Heavy water serves as a coolant in reactors but also enables the production of plutonium, a fissile material suitable for nuclear bombs. While Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes, the international community has remained wary due to the reactor’s design and development history.

Iran began developing the Arak facility in secret in 2003. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to redesign the reactor and restrict its operations in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. Although the United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump, the United Kingdom stepped in to assist Iran with reactor redesign to limit plutonium output. In 2019, Iran activated the reactor’s secondary circuit, which, while not a direct violation of the agreement, moved the country closer to weaponisation capability.

Israel’s military claimed the strike targeted the reactor core seal and components essential for plutonium production, aiming to prevent the facility from being restored for nuclear weapons use. Despite calls from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other global bodies to avoid such strikes, Israel acted citing national security concerns.

Iran, on the other hand, has reiterated that its nuclear activities remain peaceful. It enriches uranium to levels of up to 60%, just shy of the 90% required for weapons-grade material. Iran’s state television reported no radiation danger from the strike, stating the facility had been evacuated beforehand.

The Arak strike followed an Iranian missile attack that struck a hospital in southern Israel, causing significant damage and wounding several people, further escalating tensions in the region.