An Iran Air passenger aircraft has been destroyed on the ground during Israeli strikes on southern Iran, Iranian media reported, as the widening conflict begins to disrupt civilian aviation and nuclear construction projects.
According to Iranian news sites quoted by Reuters, the aircraft belonging to Iran Air was hit during an attack on Bushehr Airport in the southern port city of Bushehr.
PASSENGER PLANE DESTROYED AT BUSHEHR
Iranian media reported that a passenger plane was “destroyed on the ground” in the strike on the airport.
There was no immediate confirmation of casualties or details about whether the aircraft was in service at the time. The reports come amid ongoing Israeli strikes targeting sites across Iran.
Bushehr, located along the Persian Gulf, is also home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, increasing concerns over the broader implications of the assault.
MEHRABAD ALSO TARGETED
One of Iran’s two main airports, Mehrabad, which primarily handles domestic flights, had also came under attack, adding to a growing list of aviation sites hit during the current wave of strikes. The Mehr news agency published photographs showing a cloud of grey smoke rising behind what appeared to be a runway.
“The American-Zionist terrorists attacked the area around the Mehrabad airport” in the capital’s west, the agency reported.
ROSATOM HALTS NUCLEAR PLANT CONSTRUCTION
Earlier, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced it had halted construction work at new units of Iran’s nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said on Tuesday that work had been stopped at the construction sites of the plant’s second and third units.
“It is difficult to predict the further course of events, given the ongoing military operations against Iran, but our people will remain there in any case, and this facility will be among our priorities,” Likhachev told journalists.
He had earlier warned of the risks posed by strikes near nuclear facilities, saying explosions could be heard “just kilometres away” from the plant, although the facility itself was not being targeted.
EVACUATIONS UNDERWAY
Likhachev said there was currently no telephone or electronic communication with the leadership of the Iranian nuclear industry, though contact with colleagues at the construction site continued.
According to him, 639 Russian personnel remain in Iran. Some who were already in Tehran are leaving the country.
Nearly 100 workers and their families were evacuated on Saturday, when US and Israeli attacks on Iran began. Likhachev said evacuations would continue during pauses in air strikes.
The reported destruction of a civilian aircraft and the suspension of nuclear construction work signal an escalation with far-reaching consequences, as military operations ripple into critical infrastructure and foreign operations on Iranian soil.
