Photos: Before and after strike on Iran’s Arak heavy water plant

  • Israel attacked multiple Iranian nuclear sites Thursday
  • Arak heavy water plant saw no nuclear release from strike
  • Damage sustained to main reactor, reactor dome and more
Image of an undamaged Arak heavy water plant in Iran.

Satellite photos provided by Maxar Technologies show an undamaged image of Iran’s Arak heavy water plant. (Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies)

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(NewsNation) — Israel carried out an airstrike on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor and other nuclear sites Thursday morning as attacks continue in the Middle East.

The facility, located 155 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran, was borne out of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

The plant is capable of producing plutonium, an ingredient in atomic bombs.

Never online, the reactor had no uranium fuel and saw no nuclear release from the strike. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, has warned repeatedly that such sites — whether in Iran or Ukraine — should not be military targets.

Satellite images show damage at Iranian nuclear plant

Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies
Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

Damage was sustained on the facility’s main reactor, reactor dome, a set of distillation towers and other infrastructure, as shown in photos provided from Maxar Technologies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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