Iran Vows Retaliation After Israeli Strike On Heavy Water Reactor, Yellowcake Plant, And Steal Factories

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Israel escalated strikes against Iran on March 27, hitting a heavy water reactor, a yellowcake plant, and steel factories, with the Islamic Republic vowing to retaliate in kind.

The strike on the Arak heavy water reactor, located in western Iran, was officially announced by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which said it hit a “key infrastructure for producing plutonium for nuclear weapons” after Iran worked to restore the site.

Israeli strikes hit the partially built complex, officially known as the Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, in central Iran during the June 2025 war.

Heavy water reactors can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make nuclear weapons. However, following the 2015 nuclear deal, Arak was redesigned to reduce the nuclear weaponization risk, and its core was removed and filled with concrete.

The IDF claimed in a statement that even in its current state the heavy water “can also be used as a neutron source for nuclear weapons” and that “despite explicit international commitments, foremost among them the nuclear agreement, the Iranian terror regime has systematically avoided converting the reactor so that it would not enable the production of weapons-grade plutonium, and even deliberately ordered that the conversion not be completed.”

It added that the reactor was also a “significant economic asset for the terror regime and served as a source of income for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, generating tens of millions of dollars for the regime each year.”

The IDF issued a warning before launching the strikes against the heavy water reactor and urged residents in nearby areas to evacuate.

The Fars news agency reported that the strikes “did not result in any human casualties,” and said that “due to prior safety measures, there is no danger threatening the local people.”

Separately, the IDF announced it struck a yellowcake production plant near the central Iranian city of Yazd, claiming it came as part of the ongoing efforts against Iran’s nuclear program.

Yellowcake is a concentrated uranium powder produced during the milling of uranium ore. It serves as a critical intermediate raw material that is further processed and enriched to create fuel for nuclear reactors or material for nuclear weapons

“This facility is the only one of its kind in Iran, where raw materials mined from the ground undergo mechanical and chemical processing so that they can later be used as precursor materials for uranium enrichment,” the military said in a statement, adding that it is a “highly important process for the nuclear weapons program advanced by the regime.”

Citing a statement by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fars confirmed that the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd was hit by “an American-Zionist enemy attack.”

“Initial assessments indicate that this incident has not resulted in any release of radioactive materials outside the facility, and therefore, there is no concern for citizens or surrounding areas,” the statement reads.

In addition to these key facilities, the IDF bombed two of Iran’s largest steel factories. Fars reported that strikes hit Khuzestan Steel near the southwestern city of Ahvaz and Mobarakeh Steel in the central city of Isfahan. The factories are alleged to be linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had ordered the strikes. Earlier, Katz said that Israel would intensify its strikes against Iran.

Commenting on the recent Israeli strike, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed that the Islamic Republic will retaliate.

“Israel has hit 2 of Iran’s largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear sites among other infrastructure. Israel claims it acted in coordination with the U.S.,” he wrote on X.

Araghchi noted that the strike contradicts President Donald Trump’s recent decision to extend the deadline for strikes on Iranian energy facilities until April 6 to give diplomacy a chance.

“Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” the minister vowed.

The Israeli strikes were clearly meant to damage annoying diplomatic efforts. Still, it is highly unlikely that the IDF carried out the strikes without the knowledge of the U.S.

In any case, the strikes show that the war on Iran, which began nearly a month ago, will not be ending any time soon. The war will likely drag on for several more weeks, if not months.

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