Vienna: President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the American army had led a “very successful attack” against nuclear sites in Iran, including an installation buried deep in a mountain in Fordow, south of Tehran.
Israel aims at Iranian nuclear sites since he started strikes on Iran on June 13, notably Natanz – the heart of the Iranian uranium program – and Khondab, a partially built heavy water research reactor.
Below is an overview of some of the main nuclear installations in Iran.
Where are Iran’s nuclear installations?
The Iran’s nuclear program is spread over several locations. While the threat of Israeli air strikes has been imminent for decades, only certain sites have been built underground.
Does Iran have a nuclear weapon program?
The United States and the United Nations nuclear custody believe that Iran organized a coordinated and secret nuclear weapons program that it interrupted in 2003. Iran never deepens one or intend to develop one.
In 2015, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for international sanctions under an agreement with the global powers. This agreement collapsed after Trump, during his first mandate as president, withdrew the United States from the 2018 agreement. Iran began to reduce its compliance the following year.
Does Iran increase its uranium enrichment?
Yes. Since the collapse of the 2015 agreement, Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment efforts, considerably reducing the “rupture time” required to produce enough weapon quality uranium for a nuclear bomb – from a year to only days or a little more than a week.
However, the production of a usable bomb would take even more time, and the exact calendar remains uncertain.
Iran now enriches uranium up to 60% fissile purity – almost 90% necessary for the quality of weapons – on two sites. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has theoretically enough material enriched at this level, if it is refined, for six nuclear bombs.
Natanz
Natanz is at the heart of the Iranian uranium enrichment program. Located on a plain near the Holy Shiite city of Qom, south of Tehran, it includes two main enrichment factories: the large underground fuel (FEP) and the smallest pilot fuel (PFEP) fuel factory (PFEP).
The secret construction of Natanz by Iran was exposed in 2002 by an exiled opposition group, triggering a lasting diplomatic confrontation with the West.
The FEP is built underground, apparently about three stages deep, and was designed to house up to 50,000 centrifuges. Before the American and Israeli attacks, around 16,000 centrifuges were installed, with around 13,000 operations, enriching up to 5% uranium.
The PFEP has only hundreds of centrifugal, but this is where Iran has enriched uranium up to 60% purity.
Fordow
Fordow, on the other side of Qom, is widely dug in a mountain, offering greater protection against air strikes. After the American attacks, Trump said on social networks: “Fordow is gone”.
The 2015 nuclear agreement prohibited enrichment activities in Fordow. Before the attacks, around 2,000 centrifugal worked there, mainly advanced IR-6 machines, with up to 350 enriching at 60%.
The United States, Great Britain and France revealed in 2009 that Iran had secretly built the establishment without notifying the IAEA. Then, President Barack Obama said: “The size and configuration of this installation are incompatible with a peaceful program.”
Isfahan
Isfahan, the second largest city in Iran, is hosting a large nuclear complex. It includes an uranium conversion installation which treats uranium in uranium hexafluoride for the use of the centrifuge and a manufacturing plant of fuel plates.
IAEA says that enriched uranium is stored in Isfahan and that the site is home to equipment to produce centrifuge parts and uranium metals – the latter being particularly sensitive because it can form the heart of a nuclear bomb.
In 2022, the IAEA described a new installation as a “new location”.
Khondab
Previously called Arak, Khondab is a heavy water research reactor. These reactors have a risk of proliferation because they can produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used for the manufacture of bombs.
As part of the 2015 agreement, the construction was interrupted, the nucleus was filled with concrete and the reactor had to be redesigned to prevent the production of weapon quality plutonium. Iran said that he was planning to start using the installation in 2026.
Tehran Research Center
This center includes a research reactor and other nuclear research facilities.
Bush
The only Iran operational nuclear power plant is in Bushehr, on the Gulf coast. It uses fuel supplied by Russia, which is returned to Russia after use, limiting the risks of proliferation.
