The US-Israeli Operation Epic Fury was launched against Iran on Saturday.

09:52, Tue, Mar 3, 2026 Updated: 10:12, Tue, Mar 3, 2026

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the rubble of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the rubble of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (Image: AP)

The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), issued an update following a strike part of Operation Epic Fury launched on Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant. The plant, in the Isfahan province of Iran, took damage to its entrance buildings.

Despite this, the IAEA confirmed nowhere else sustained damage, and there are "no radiological consequences" expected. It wrote on X: "Based on the latest available satellite imagery, IAEA can now confirm some recent damage to entrance buildings of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).

Nuclear facility

The site was also hit in the June conflict. (Image: -)

"No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict."

Iran accused Israsel and the US of attacking the facility yesterday, which has been one of the main target in this conflict and last year's.

Atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said: "The criminal regimes of the United States and Israel, pursuing their aggression, again targeted the Natanz nuclear site on Sunday afternoon in two brutal attacks."

Reza Najafi, Tehran's ambassafor to the IAEA, called the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant a "peaceful safeguarded nuclear facility", and denounced claims that Iran wants to develop nukes as "a big lie".

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He said: "Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday. Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie."

Natanz is one of Iran’s largest nuclear facilities that serves as its primary uranium enrichment facility.

Western intelligence reports believe that over half of it is built underground to house the commercial Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP).

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Out of the three underground buildings its believed to have, two of them are designed to hold 50,000 centrifuges.

It also has six buildings above ground, two of which feature 2,500-metre halls used for gas centrifuge assemblies, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.