An “unspecified” radioactive device being transported from an Iranian nuclear plant has gone missing, reported the Saudi newspaper Asharq al Awsat .

The device, which emanated from the Bushehr nuclear reactor was being transported when the vehicle it was in was stolen. The vehicle was later recovered, but the device was missing.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the radioactive material contained within the device was composed of Iridium-192, which could be used to make a dirty bomb.

Iridium-192, a highly unstable isotope, labelled as a category-2 radioactive substance by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The substance is capable of permanently injuring or killing a human being who is exposed to the material within hours or days.

Despite its dangers, Iridium-192 is used in industrial settings as it can locate flaws in metal components.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed concerns about the device’s disappearance, in regards to both security and contamination issues, to the IAEA. Both organizations, which are already worried that Iran’s nuclear program could contaminate the water in the Gulf due to poor safety records at Bushehr, are concerned about this device in particular.

Although Adnan al-Tamimi, chairman of the GCC Emergency Management Center, said that the device loses half of its power after 74 days, it still presents a threat.

The GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman – all receive critical amounts of water from desalination stations that draw their water from the Persian Gulf.

For information about Iran’s nuclear program and the threat it poses to US national security, please see Clarion Project’s factsheet: The Iranian Nuclear Program.