Satellite images show damage in Bushehr nuclear plant complex; IAEA's Grossi warns of crossing red line

A comparison of European Sentinel-2 satellite images captured on July 7 and July 12 shows newly formed impact scars inside the Bushehr nuclear power plant complex and damage to nearby support facilities. The analysis, published on Friday, July 17, points to US strikes during the ongoing war on the plant, Iran's only operating nuclear power station, located on the Persian Gulf coast.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the impact appears to have hit a smaller structure within the broader premises, possibly a laboratory or auxiliary building, and did not affect the reactor itself, with no casualties reported. He warned that a direct hit on an operating reactor could trigger a severe radiological incident and repeatedly called for maximum military restraint. Iran's nuclear regulator said the reactor continued to operate normally and that no radiation release was recorded.

The market relevance lies in the tail risk: any nuclear incident on the northern Persian Gulf coast would be catastrophic for the region and its energy corridor, and could move oil and gold prices.