Nadene Goldfoot
Iraq’s Osirak nuclear power research station in the aftermath of an attack. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons.) Osirak nuclear reactor: Israel’s 1981 bombing of Iraq nuclear reactor may have fuelled Saddam’s nuclear ambitions
In 1976, Iraq purchased an Osiris-class nuclear reactor from France. While Iraq and France maintained that the reactor, named Osirak by the French, was intended for peaceful scientific research, they said, the Israelis viewed the reactor with suspicion, believing it was designed to produce nuclear weapons that could escalate the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict. On 7 June 1981, a flight of Israeli Air Force F-16A fighter aircraft, with an escort of F-15As, bombed the Osirak reactor deep inside Iraq. Israel called the operation an act of self-defense, saying that the reactor had "less than a month to go" before "it might have become critical."The airstrike reportedly killed ten Iraqi soldiers and one French civilian. The attack took place about three weeks before the 1981 Israeli legislative elections for the Knesset.
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As of early April 2026, Iran has accused the United States and Israel of launching joint strikes that hit near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, with reports indicating projectiles landed within the compound or in its immediate vicinity. While explosions occurred close to the facility, the main reactor was not reported damaged.
A major obstacle is Iran’s nuclear program, especially its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
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The UN nuclear watchdog says Iran has more than 440 kilograms, or 970 pounds, of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. Iran wants that issue deferred, while Washington is seeking limits as part of any broader deal.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and nuclear experts, Iran is the only country currently producing highly enriched uranium (60% purity) without possessing nuclear weapons. While many countries enrich uranium for civilian nuclear power (typically 3–5%), only those with nuclear weapons typically produce 90% weapons-grade material.
Nine countries currently possess nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. As of early 2026, Russia and the U.S. hold nearly 90% of the estimated 12,100+ global warheads.
In contrast, The United States holds the world's 4th largest uranium resources, with approximately 167 million pounds of commercial inventory (\(U_{3}O_{8}e\)) as of the end of 2024. While domestic reserves are significant (an estimated 539 million pounds at \(\$50\)/lb), the U.S. imports roughly 99% of the uranium used in its nuclear power plants, primarily from Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Australia holds the world's largest known uranium reserves, containing roughly 28% to 30% of the global total. However, Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer, mining over 40% of the global supply annually.
Canada holds one of the world's largest, highest-grade uranium resources, with approximately 588,500 to 694,000 tonnes of known uranium (tU), representing about 10% of global reserves. Primarily located in the Athabasca Basin of Northern Saskatchewan, these deposits support over 50 years of continued production, maintaining Canada as the world’s second-largest producer and exporter. Is this why Trump wanted to buy Canada?
Israel is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal of approximately 90 plutonium-based warheads, with enough fissile material to produce up to 200 weapons. The country follows a policy of nuclear ambiguity, neither confirming nor denying its capabilities, though it is widely understood to have developed a "nuclear triad" of air, land, and sea delivery systems.; Remember!!!
Operation Opera. Operation Opera (Hebrew: מִבְצָע אוֹפֵּרָה ), also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located 17 kilometres (11 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq.
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