Earthquake strikes near Iran’s Natanz nuclear site

State media images show Red Crescent teams assessing earthquake damage in the villages of Arisman, Jaryan, and Khafr near Natanz to coordinate emergency aid and recovery efforts.
State media images show Red Crescent teams assessing earthquake damage in the villages of Arisman, Jaryan, and Khafr near Natanz to coordinate emergency aid and recovery efforts.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck near Badroud in central Iran on Thursday, shaking areas roughly 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the Natanz nuclear facility, the country’s main uranium enrichment site.

A second tremor, measuring 4.5 magnitude, followed just hours later at 1:03 PM local time, according to the Iranian Seismological Center.

In response to concerns about the site’s safety, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said the earthquakes had no impact on the Natanz nuclear facility. “The Natanz nuclear site is designed to withstand earthquakes far more powerful than what occurred today,” he added.

Local officials reported shattered windows in several residential buildings across nearby villages, though no casualties have been reported so far.

Iran's nuclear enrichment site in Natanz, Isfahan Province.
Iran's nuclear enrichment site in Natanz, Isfahan Province.

The Natanz facility, mostly deep underground and central to Iran’s controversial nuclear program, has been the target of past sabotage. In July 2020, a blast at the centrifuge assembly plant at Natanz caused extensive damage, which Iranian officials later blamed on sabotage. Less than a year later, in April 2021, a second major incident struck the facility, again reportedly the result of sabotage, with Iran directly accusing Israel.

The 2021 attack came just after new advanced centrifuges had been activated, and US intelligence sources later told The New York Times that the strike destroyed the facility’s independent internal power system, delaying enrichment activities for months.

Last year, an Israeli airstrike targeted an S-300 air defense system near Esfahan, the same province housing Natanz—raising regional security concerns.

The quake comes at a delicate time, as US and Israeli officials prepare for high-level consultations in Washington next week to discuss Iran's nuclear program and potential diplomatic options. With tensions simmering, analysts warn that even natural events near sensitive sites could escalate geopolitical anxieties.

Natanz remains a flashpoint amid growing scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which recently expressed concern over Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.