The Inside Story Podcast Why has Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant been targeted?
Apr 6, 2026
Alicia Sanders-Zakre, nuclear disarmament policy lead focused on humanitarian impacts; Abas Aslani, Middle East security analyst with Iranian perspective; Tariq Rauf, former IAEA verification chief with safeguards expertise. They discuss why Bushehr has been struck, the plant's vulnerability and environmental risks, legal prohibitions on targeting reactors, and how attacks affect verification, regional stability and public safety.
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Nuclear Plant Safety Hinges On External Power
- Nuclear plants are structurally robust but dependent on external systems for safety.
- Tariq Rauf explains Bushire's containment can resist an aircraft strike, yet loss of power or cooling risks meltdown like Chernobyl or Fukushima.
Radioactive Contamination Would Linger In The Persian Gulf
- Persian Gulf contamination would persist for years due to slow water exchange.
- Tariq Rauf notes the Gulf takes 3–5 years to flush, jeopardising desalination, fisheries and making large areas uninhabitable.
Halt Attacks Near Nuclear Facilities Now
- Stop strikes near nuclear sites and uphold international law banning such attacks.
- Alicia Sanders-Zakre points out Geneva Convention Additional Protocol Article 56 and customary law prohibit targeting nuclear power plants.