"We Anticipated the Attack and Evacuated Nuclear Facilities in Advance"
Iranian Media Warns: "Americans Are Now Legitimate Targets"
The United States directly struck nuclear facilities in Iran on the 21st (local time), raising concerns about an escalation of the conflict. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) confirmed the attack but announced that it would not suspend its nuclear activities.
According to AP, AFP, and other news agencies, the AEOI on the 22nd confirmed that its nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz had been attacked. The organization further claimed that the attack on the nuclear facilities was barbaric and a violation of international law, stating that it would take appropriate measures, including legal action, in response.
Although the exact scale of the damage was not disclosed, the AEOI emphasized that it would not halt the nation's "national industry (nuclear activities)." The AEOI stated, "We assure the great people of Iran that the evil conspiracies of our enemies will not stop the progress of this national industry, which has been achieved through the blood of nuclear martyrs."
An Iranian official also stated that there was no decisive damage because the nuclear facilities in Fordow had been removed in anticipation of a U.S. attack. According to Russia's RIA Novosti, Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker, said on X (formerly Twitter), "Iran had anticipated an attack on the Fordow facility for several days," and "therefore, the nuclear facilities were evacuated and there was no irreparable damage."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency and semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing officials from Qom Province, where the Fordow nuclear facility is located, that the Fordow facility was attacked early that morning and that the air defense system was activated in response.
Fordow is known as a representative facility called the "heart of Iran's nuclear facilities," where uranium enrichment for nuclear weapons development has reportedly been carried out. Isfahan and Natanz are also facilities with uranium enrichment sites and have been considered critical locations for Iran's nuclear development capabilities.
As the U.S. strike on nuclear facilities draws attention to the nature of the current conflict, a host on Iranian state TV warned that all American citizens or military personnel in the region have now become legitimate targets.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
