The first airstrike on a nuclear reactor in history, conducted by Iran against Iraq's Osirak facility eight days into the Iran–Iraq War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 30 September 1980
- Aircraft used
- Four F-4 Phantom IIs
- Distance from Baghdad
- 17 kilometres southeast of Baghdad km
- Nuclear delay caused
- Approximately 3 months
- Historical precedent
- First airstrike on a nuclear reactor in history
- Codenamed
- Operation Scorch Sword
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Eight days after Iraq invaded Iran in September 1980, Iran feared that Iraq's advancing nuclear program at the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Centre could eventually produce weapons usable against Iranian territory. This threat, combined with the outbreak of open warfare, prompted Iran to act preemptively against the under-construction Osirak reactor before it could become operational.
On 30 September 1980, four Iranian Air Force F-4 Phantom IIs conducted a surprise low-altitude strike on the Osirak nuclear reactor located 17 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Two aircraft used a deceptive high-altitude flight path to trigger Iraqi radar on a false course while the other two dropped to low altitude and attacked the facility, marking the first airstrike on a nuclear reactor in history.
The raid damaged but did not destroy Osirak, halting Iraq's nuclear program for only about three months. Iraq's nuclear efforts continued until Israel's Operation Opera on 7 June 1981 completely destroyed the reactor. A decade later, the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Centre was struck again by the United States during the 1991 Gulf War aerial bombardment campaign.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent