Arak

The Israeli air force bombed Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in Markazi province, after issuing an evacuation warning to civilians in the area. Fars News reported no casualties due to "prior safety measures" and said there is no danger to the local population. A provincial Iranian official said the strike was carried out jointly by US and Israeli forces.

Arak is a familiar name in the history of Iran's nuclear programme. The IR-40 heavy water research reactor was for years one of the most contentious points in nuclear negotiations, because it could produce weapons-usable plutonium. Under the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA), Iran agreed to redesign the reactor to eliminate that capability. After the United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under Trump, Arak's status returned to a grey zone. Last June's strikes hit other nuclear facilities. Now it was Arak's turn.

Netanyahu said this week that Iran "has no ability to enrich uranium". The US has destroyed two-thirds of Iran's missile and drone production facilities. The Arak strike is consistent with a campaign aimed at eliminating any residual nuclear capability, however symbolic. But every nuclear facility destroyed poses a question nobody wants to answer: if Iran ever rebuilds, what then? Destruction is not a permanent solution. It is a clock that resets.