Strike hit close to Bushehr nuclear facility, says Iran

Iran’s atomic agency says an airstrike has hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war. The agency announced on Saturday’s attack on social media.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media on Saturday that radioactive fallout from continued attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant “will end life” in regional capitals, not Tehran.

He accused Western governments of remaining silent about the repeated attacks on the plant. The fourth attack on the Bushehr complex occurred Saturday, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. No increase in radiation levels was reported, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bushehr is located some 750 kilometres south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.

The facility uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran.

Mediators are still working on a ceasefire

Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are still working to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials.

The regional powers are working on a compromise to bridge the gap between the American and Iranian demands to stop the war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, they said.

They said the yet-to-be finalised compromise aims at paving the way for both sides to meet in Pakistan.

It includes a cessation of hostilities for a certain period of time to allow a diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday reiterated his government’s willingness to restart talks in Pakistan, but said they seek a “conclusive and lasting” end of the conflict. Araghchi said he spoke by phone on Friday with Turkey’s foreign minister to discuss the latest developments.

Meanwhile, Meloni assured Qatar’s leader during a visit on Saturday that Italy would contribute to restoring Qatari energy infrastructure damaged by Iranian bombing, noting its natural gas production is critical to global energy security, her office said in a note.

Meloni is the first EU, G20 and NATO leader to visit the Gulf region since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.