By Dr. Zoe Levornik.
As part of the extensive operations aimed at damaging the Iranian regime’s nuclear program, the nuclear reactor in the Arak area of Iran was attacked last night (June 19), including the reactor’s containment structure, which is a key component in the production of plutonium.
Arak is located 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran. The Arak nuclear reactor is a 40 Megawatt heavy water reactor. Heavy water is used for cooling however a byproduct of using heavy water is plutonium, which in sufficient quantities can be used to produce nuclear weapons — providing an alternative path to uranium-based nuclear weapons.
Nuclear technology is a dual-use technology that can serve both civilian purposes (such as energy production) and military purposes (such as nuclear weapons), it is not always easy to determine for which purpose a country is using the technology. Therefore, inspections of activities in nuclear facilities are necessary. Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which Iran is a signatory, non-nuclear-weapon states are obligated to use nuclear technology exclusively for civilian purposes and under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision.
Iran began construction of the Arak reactor in 1997, which raised concerns in the international community about its purpose due to the reactor’s potential to produce weapons-grade plutonium. In 2007, Iran allowed IAEA inspectors access to the facility but not to the detailed plans, making it impossible to verify the intended use of the reactor. An additional concern was that the Arak reactor might serve as a model for Iran to construct larger reactors.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA), Iran committed to redesigning the reactor so that its plutonium production would remain below the level required for nuclear weapons, and the spent nuclear fuel was to be sent abroad for processing (most likely to Russia). Iran also pledged to fill the reactor core — from which plutonium can be extracted — with concrete, rendering it unusable. In 2016, Iran claimed that this had been done and even released a photo as proof, however, it was later revealed that this was false, the image was fabricated, and it was a deliberate deception of the West (see the Alma Center video from May 2025).
In 2016, the IAEA reported that Iran had begun stockpiling more heavy water than allowed under the agreement. Since 2021, Iran has limited IAEA access to the facility, and as a result, no verified information about the plant’s activities is available. According to the IAEA, the reactor has the capacity to produce 8–10 kilograms of plutonium-239 (the isotope required for nuclear weapons) per year — enough for one or two bombs.
The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent any potential future use of the infrastructure for nuclear weapons manufacturing (as it is currently inactive).
Over the past two decades, Iran has repeatedly violated its commitments under international agreements regarding the Arak reactor, in an effort to continue advancing its nuclear program toward the development of nuclear weapons.
