In June 2025, the installation was visited by the United States and Israel during the twelve-day war. The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization accused the Israeli army of targeting an “active center in the field of radiation medicine research.”
Israel confirmed on Friday that it had targeted the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor in central Iran on the 28th day of the Middle East war. The Israeli army stated, “Recently, the Israeli Air Force (…) struck the heavy water reactor in Arak, central Iran,” noting that it is a “plutonium production site intended for nuclear weapons.” Iranian media reported American-Israeli strikes on the site just minutes before.
Arak is one of the main known sites of the Iranian nuclear program. Its construction began in the early 2000s to produce plutonium for medical research. The project was halted in accordance with the 2015 Vienna Agreement to reduce proliferation risks. The heart of the reactor was removed and concrete was poured in to make it inoperative. The site, now called Khondab, was expected to be operational in 2026, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Israel continues to target nuclear sites in Iran. Other known nuclear facilities include uranium enrichment sites in Natanz and Fordo, the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan, and the Tehran nuclear research center. Inspection of these sites by the IAEA is regular. Additionally, two more reactors are under construction in Iran with Russian assistance: Darkhovin in the southwest and Sirik, a complex of four power plants with a combined capacity of 5000 megawatts in the Strait of Hormuz.
