US Bombs Iran

U.S. Bombs Iran: Strategic Motivations, Implications, and Global Fallout

Trump says Iran’s key nuclear facilities were ‘totally obliterated’ in US strikes

The scenario in which the United States attacks Iran with bombers is one of the most volatile and high-risk situations in world politics. Although the U.S. and Iran have been historically each other's enemies, direct war between them has so far largely been avoided, with hostilities emerging in the form of proxy wars, economic sanctions, and cyberattacks. If a U.S. bombing campaign against Iran were to happen, it would be a dramatic escalation with far-reaching geopolitical, economic, and humanitarian consequences. This essay explores the strategic justifications for this option, the likely military and political responses, and the international consequences.

Historical Context and Escalating Tensions
Relationships between Iran and the United States have remained strained since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when the pro-American Shah was deposed and replaced with the Islamic Republic of Ayatollah Khomeini. The ensuing hostage crisis, during which 52 American diplomats were held hostage for 444 days, sealed the hostility of the two countries.Since those decades, the U.S. has accused Iran of backing terrorist organizations, developing a nuclear weapons program, and destabilizing the Middle East through regional proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shia militia in Iraq and Syria. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, temporarily provided a diplomatic way forward. But its unilateral withdrawal by the Trump administration in 2018 rekindled tensions, prompting renewed sanctions and Iranian breaches of the accord's nuclear limits.

Triggers for a U.S. Bombing Campaign
A U.S. decision to bomb Iran would likely be the result of one or more of the following:Iran Achieving Nuclear Breakout Capacity: If there were intelligence that Iran would soon have the capability to build a nuclear weapon, U.S. leadership would be inclined towards preemptive moves to incapacitate nuclear facilities, especially at sites like Natanz or Fordow.Iranian Strike against American Forces or Allies: A significant strike—a missile attack against American forces in the Gulf or Israel—would necessarily bring retaliatory airstrikes under a policy of deterrence.Political Pressure and Regional Alignments: U.S. alignments with Saudi Arabia and Israel, both of whom view Iran as an existential threat, could push Washington to war, especially if these allies are attacked or threatened.Collapse of Diplomatic Channels: If backchannel or official diplomacy fails, and Iranian activities and rhetoric increase and become more aggressive, hardline elements within U.S. policymaking communities could argue that force is the only remaining tool.

Military Targets and Tactical Use
In a bombing campaign, the U.S. would primarily target high-value targets using precision bombing and cruise missiles. Some of these targets include:Nuclear Facilities: Sites at Natanz, Fordow, and Arak.Military Command Facilities: IRGC bases and missile command centers.Ballistic Missile Launchers and Storage Facilities.Air Defense Assets: To acquire air superiority for follow-up strikes.Naval Capabilities in the Persian Gulf: IRGC naval capabilities in particular that threaten oil shipping lanes.The Pentagon would attempt to avoid civilian casualties and not target civilian infrastructure, but Iran's dispersal of forces and use of dual-use facilities complicate such efforts.

Iran's Probable Response
Iran would retaliate both symmetrically and asymmetrically. Likely responses:Missile Attacks: Strikes against U.S. bases in Iraq, the UAE, or Bahrain.Attacks on Israel: Via Hezbollah in Lebanon or directly from Iran.Closure of the Strait of Hormuz: Threatening world oil supplies.Cyber Warfare: Against U.S. infrastructure, financial systems, or government networks.Terrorist Attacks: Via proxy groups in the Middle East and possibly overseas.Iran's strategy would be to increase the price to America while rallying domestic and regional opinion. It could also stage operations in Iraq or Syria, drawing U.S. forces deeper into Middle Eastern turmoil.

Regional and Global Fallout
World reaction to American bombing of Iran would likely be one of enduring concern and division.

Middle East: Israel and Saudi Arabia would likely condemn the strikes, but Iraq and Turkey would likely condemn them in fear of destabilizing the region.

Europe: Allies in NATO would likely be divided. The EU, especially countries like France and Germany that supported the JCPOA, would likely vocally condemn them.

Russia and China: They are both allies of Iran and may use the war to counterbalance the U.S. influence. They can increase their weapons aid to Iran, veto resolutions in the UN, and vilify Washington for violating global laws.Oil Markets and Global Economy: Oil prices would most likely go through the roof. The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 20% of the world's oil—any disruption can plunge the world into gigantic energy crises, inflation, and economic downturns.

Legal and Moral Justifications
As a fact and under international law, U.S. unilaterally initiated attacks on Iran can be questioned on legal grounds for a breach of the UN Charter unless it is a final act of self-defense or endorsed by Security Council resolution. The moral basis would be on preventing a bigger disaster, i.e., nuclear weapon proliferation or mass casualties through Iranian aggression.

But preventive war would mean disproportionate civilian casualties, destabilizes a major region, and invites the same from other global powers. The shadow of shady intelligence and long-term instability of the Iraq War would loom over public opinion. 

Domestic Political Implications in the U.S.
Such an intervention would highly polarize the American public and Congress. Hawks would acclaim it as necessary to maintain U.S. leadership and security in the international arena. Doves and progresses would denounce it as dangerous, costly, and avoidable by diplomacy. Political repercussions would decide presidential elections and congressional majority, on the basis of public opinion regarding the outcome or failure of the war.

Paths to De-Escalation
To avoid war on Iran, the following steps would be necessary post-strike:Backchannel Negotiations: Through neutral mediators such as Oman, Switzerland, or Qatar.UN Involvement: Urging a ceasefire and resumption of diplomacy.Sanction Relief for Compliance: Offering economic incentives to Iran for demonstrated de-escalation.Regional Security Pact: Encouraging a wider Middle East security framework including both Arab states and Iran.
U.S. bombing of Iran would be a tipping-point event in 21st-century geopolitics. While it would temporarily degrade Iran's military and nuclear capabilities, it would most likely strike back with a vengeance, pose the threat of global economic meltdown, and very possibly ignite an even broader regional conflict. Diplomacy, frustrating and dilatory as it is, is most likely to lead to enduring stability. War against Iran, as previously, would yield neither swift nor decisive victories—just another risky installment in an already unstable region.

What we know
• US strikes Iran: President Donald Trump described US military strikes on three nuclear sites as a “spectacular military success” and added that the facilities were “completely and totally obliterated” in an address from the White House on Saturday evening. Trump warned Iran that the US could go after additional targets if Iran does not make peace.

• About the strikes: American B-2 bombers were used in the strikes, and sources said the US also utilized a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb. It’s the first known instance of the bomb being used operationally.

• Hostilities escalate: The Israel-Iran conflict has entered its second week. Earlier on Saturday, Israel claimed the killing of two commanders in Iran’s elite Quds Force and said it struck a range of Iranian military targets. In Israel, two Iranian drones made a rare breach of the country’s air defenses.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding answers from President Donald Trump tonight after he ordered US strikes on Iran.“President Trump must provide the American people and Congress clear answers on the actions taken tonight and their implications for the safety of Americans,” Schumer said in a statement.

“No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy.”“We must enforce the War Powers Act and I’m urging (Senate Majority) Leader (John) Thune to put it on the Senate floor immediately,” Schumer said. “I am voting for it and implore all Senators on both sides of the aisle to vote for it.”

The Democrat added: “Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity. The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, are both calling for de-escalation after the US strikes on Iran.“I strongly urge the Trump Administration to immediately pursue restraint, diplomacy, and international engagement to prevent further bloodshed,” Reed said in a statement. “Congress needs to be briefed in a classified setting. And I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure the American people get the facts and answers they deserve. It’s easier to start wars than end them. Even though the U.S. maintains military dominance, we are in a dangerous stage that could lead to significant instability in the region and beyond. We must be prepared for contingencies going forward.”Shaheen said that “the United States must not rush into war with Iran,” and noted that President Trump “has not continued the bipartisan tradition of regularly briefing Congress on major national security events that impact Americans around the world.”She added, “President Trump must now de-escalate tensions with Iran and immediately brief Congress.”

Hamas condemns US strikes on Iran as "dangerous escalation"
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Hamas has condemned the US strikes on Iran, calling them a violation of international law in a statement early Sunday.

“This brutal aggression is a dangerous escalation, a blind obedience to the agendas of (Israel), a flagrant violation of international law, and a direct threat to international peace and security,” Hamas said.

The Palestinian militant group, which has strong ties to Iran, said the strikes were “a violation of all international norms and conventions,” and vowed to hold the US and Israel responsible.

No radiation detected in Gulf Arab states after US strikes, says Saudi nuclear regulator

There have been no radioactive traces detected in Gulf Arab states following the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, according to Saudi Arabia’s nuclear regulator.“No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom, and the Arab Gulf states as a result of the US military targeting of Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority said in a post on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a five-hour meeting with his top officials that lasted throughout the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to a source familiar with the meeting.The security cabinet meeting began at 10 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) and continued until the US carried out its strikes at approximately 3 a.m. local time (8 p.m. ET). The discussion ended after the US strikes, the source said.

A second source had previously told CNN that Israel held a security cabinet meeting to monitor the US bombing mission.The meeting, which consisted of the senior officials involved in Israel’s handling of Iran, included a number of those closest to Netanyahu, the source said. Netanyahu confidant Ron Dermer was a part of the meeting, as were Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.Israel’s military chief of staff and the head of its Mossad spy agency were also part of the meeting. Far-right Minster of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich participated as well.

Trump has “unique opportunity” to effect change in Middle East, says former NATO commander

US President Donald Trump “has a unique opportunity that no president has had before to really effect dramatic change” in the Middle East following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, a former NATO supreme allied commander has told CNN.

“The US military is very confident,” said retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a CNN analyst. “I don’t expect the military to do anything in the next 24 or 48 hours. We are going to have to wait, probably on the Iranian response, but I do hope that we have people working underneath this, talking to lower-level people inside Iran and getting their sense of things.”He added the US strikes leave the Middle East in “a very, very volatile and uncertain time.”There is “no surprise about the B-2 strikes in terms of their ability to hit the target,” Clark said. “Of course, we don’t know what they have actually done to the target.”Law enforcement agencies tracking intelligence for any potential threats following US strikes on Iran
From Holmes Lybrand
Law enforcement agencies around the US are closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East after the US launched airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, tracking intelligence for any potential threats to the homeland.

The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and other federal, state and local agencies are watching for any response from Iran or others against the US, a federal official familiar with the coordination told CNN.DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post Saturday night, “We will work unceasingly to protect the American homeland.”Police departments in New York City and Washington, DC, said they are sharing intelligence with their federal partners and are increasing or maintaining a heightened level of police resources around religious institutions.The DC Police Department said in a statement that there is no known threat to the nation’s capital, but it is working to “safeguard residents, businesses, and visitors in the District of Columbia.”Security postures around several key areas in the US capital, including the White House, Pentagon and Israeli Embassy, have increased since the conflict between Israel and Iran began earlier this month. Officials told CNN those increases are part of a normal security protocol activated when any conflict of this size begins.The New York City Police Department said in a statement, “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners.”Before the US launched the attacks, law enforcement officials told CNN that while there was no uptick in the already heightened threat posed against the US by Iran, that story could quickly change.

The US used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen “bunker buster” bombs on the Fordow nuclear site in Iran, a US official told CNN.Navy submarines fired 30 TLAM cruise missiles at two other sites, Natanz and Isfahan, and a B2 dropped two bunker busters on Natanz, the official said.The specifics of the strikes were earlier reported by The New York Times.“Bunker buster”: The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, known as a “bunker buster,” is a 30,000-pound bomb with 6,000 pounds of explosives.

The MOP was designed for “reaching and destroying our adversaries’ weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,” according to a fact sheet from the US Air Force.
Prominent adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says it “must launch missile strikes” on US Navy ships
A prominent adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has called for missile strikes on US Navy ships and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route.

“Following America’s attack on the Fordow nuclear installation, it is now our turn,” warned Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, a well-known conservative voice who has previously identified himself as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s “representative.”A Telegram message from Kayhan quoted Shariatmadari as saying: “Without hesitation or delay, as a first step we must launch missile strikes on the American naval fleet based in Bahrain and simultaneously close the Strait of Hormuz to American, British, German, and French shipping.”The message ended with a quote from the Quran, which read: “Kill them wherever you shall overtake (find) them.”There has been no official response yet from Supreme Leader Khamenei to the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Trump thanks Israeli military and praises "great American patriots"

President Donald Trump thanked the Israeli military “for the wonderful job they’ve done” and praised American servicemembers for “an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades.”“I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they’ve done, and most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades,” the president said in his Saturday night address to the nation.“There is no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight,” he said, going on to praise his top military leadership.“I also want to congratulate the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack.”

Trump says objective of strikes was to stop Iran's "nuclear threat"

President Donald Trump said the objective of Saturday’s strikes against three Iranian nuclear sites was to stop the “nuclear threat.”“Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Trump said in an address from the White House Saturday night.Trump’s consideration of strikes over the past week had divided his top allies, splitting the MAGA-aligned isolationists fearful of another American war in the Middle East from more hawkish conservative voices like Sen. Lindsey Graham. But all along, Trump was adamant that Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon.“For 40 years, Iran has been saying, ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel.’ They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people, and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate,” Trump said.He said that “so many were killed by their general, Qasem Soleimani.” Trump ordered a strike in Iraq in January 2020 to kill Soleimani, a decision he said at the time was aimed at deterrence.

“I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue,” Trump said Saturday.

Iran-backed Houthis say Trump “must bear the consequences” for strikes on Iran

A prominent official from the Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen said in a social media post early Sunday that it would hold US President Donald Trump responsible for the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.“Trump must bear the consequences,” Houthi political bureau member Hizam al-Assad posted on X.Earlier, a statement from the Houthi-controlled Yemeni Armed Forces said the group was prepared to target US Navy warships in the Red Sea “in the event that the American enemy launches an aggression in support” of Israel.

Some context: Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November 2023, at first targeting vessels with links to Israel in reaction to its war in Gaza. Later, US warships in the region became Houthi targets after they intervened to protect Red Sea shipping. The US retaliated with a series of air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen that continued into the spring of this year.

Trump announces Sunday Pentagon news conference

President Donald Trump announced during a brief address to the nation Saturday night that top officials will hold a news conference Sunday morning at the Pentagon to discuss the US operation targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.“Tomorrow, Gen. Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon,” Trump said at the conclusion of his three-and-a-half-minute remarks at the White House, which did not offer substantive details on the strikes.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine has emerged as one of the key voices advising Trump over the course of the Israel-Iran conflict as the president weighed the possibility of US military intervention, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, whom Trump had tasked with pursuing a diplomatic solution.

Further Israeli action on Iran will depend on how Tehran reacts to US strikes, source says

Future Israeli military action in Iran will depend on how Tehran reacts to the US strikes against its nuclear facilities, a source familiar with the matter said.

It remains unclear at this stage whether Israel will continue its air strikes in Iran following the major US strikes on the Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities in Iran. Israeli officials have said eliminating Iran’s nuclear program is the primary goal of their bombing campaign, but senior Israeli officials have also increasingly said they are aiming to remove the Iranian regime from power.

Israeli officials have long prepared for significant potential Iranian retaliation should the US carry out strikes against nuclear facilities in Iran.Officials had previously told CNN they expected the US would eventually join in on strikes in Iran to deliver the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program.

“The whole operation is premised on the fact that the US will join at some point,” an Israeli official told CNN earlier this week.

US used "bunker buster" bomb in Iran nuclear facility strikes, according to sources

The United States used the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, known as a “bunker buster,” in its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, two sources familiar with the operation said.The MOP — a 30,000-pound bomb with 6,000 pounds of explosives — was designed for “reaching and destroying our adversaries’ weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,” according to a fact sheet from the US Air Force.It’s unclear how many MOPs were dropped. Saturday is the first known instance of the bomb being used operationally.Prior to Saturday’s strikes, some US officials had raised pointed questions about

whether the MOP would be able to destroy Iran’s nuclear architecture completely, especially where the enrichment facilities are deeply buried.President Donald Trump said on social media on Saturday that the US had “completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”“All planes are now outside of Iran air space,” Trump said on Truth Social.The MOP was believed to be the only ordnance able to reach the deeply buried facilities, though there were doubts that one singular munition would be able to penetrate deeply enough to reach them.The US’ B-2 Spirit bombers are the only aircraft capable of carrying the bombs. CNN reported Saturday that B-2s were used in the operation.

US President Donald Trump says the US Air Force B-2 bombers were used in the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.The B-2 Spirit is the US Air Force’s top-of-the-line bomber.

With its flying wing design, composite material composition and special coatings, “the B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time, anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses,” according to an Air Force fact sheet.The four-engine B-2 can be armed with nuclear or conventional weapons, is flown by a crew of two, has a payload of 40,000 pounds and an unlimited range with aerial refueling.The bombers first flew in 1989 and saw their first combat 10 years later in Operation Allied Force, the NATO-led intervention in the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo, flying nonstop from their Missouri base to hit Serbian targets, according to the Air Force.They later flew even farther-flung missions to hit targets in Afghanistan in October 2001, during the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom.More recently, the B-2s have flown out of the joint US-British base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to strike Houthi targets in Yemen.There are only 20 B-2s in the US Air Force inventory, all based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Each of the bombers cost about $2 billon in current dollars.

Bunker buster: The US used the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, known as a “bunker buster,” in its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday evening Eastern Time, two sources familiar with the operation said.The MOP — a 30,000-pound bomb with 6,000 pounds of explosives — was designed for “reaching and destroying our adversaries’ weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,” according to a fact sheet from the US Air Force.The B-2 is the only aircraft in the US inventory that can carry the GBU-57A/B

Trump warns Iran: Make peace, or future attacks are coming

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the US could go after additional targets if Iran does not make peace, advocating for a diplomatic resolution following his decision to strike a trio of Iranian nuclear sites Saturday.“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Trump said in a Saturday night address to the nation.He continued, “This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left.”Trump warned that the US could “go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill,” which he said could be done “in a matter of minutes.”

Iran’s atomic agency condemns US strikes, says its nuclear industry won’t be stopped

Iran’s atomic agency has condemned the US attacks on three of the country’s nuclear facilities and vowed “never” to stop its nuclear program, according to Iranian media.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, which oversees Iran’s nuclear technology, said the three key sites – Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – came under “savage assault” in the early hours of Sunday morning, reported the state-affiliated IRNA news agency.

The agency described the strikes as a “blatant violation of international law, particularly the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),” and accused the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of “complicity.”It urged the international community to support Iran and condemn the US strikes, and vowed to “never allow the progress of this national industry … to be halted.”

Trump says US strikes in Iran a "spectacular military success"

President Donald Trump described the US military strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as a “spectacular military success” in remarks from the White House Cross Hall.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in his first public remarks since the strikes were carried out.

He was flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

US informed Iran that strikes would be contained, and that nothing further is planned

The US conveyed to Iran through back-channel discussions that the strikes President Donald Trump ordered on the country’s nuclear facilities would be contained, and that no further strikes were planned going forward, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the message was conveyed, but it signals Trump’s desire to continue searching for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

US communications with Iran have been halting over the last week, though on Thursday the White House said there continued to be correspondence between the two sides.

US drawing down additional diplomatic personnel from Iraq, sources say

The United States is drawing down additional personnel from its diplomatic mission in Iraq, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.The evacuation flights departing Iraq with US diplomats have now resumed after being halted this evening, a source familiar with the matter says.After President Donald Trump announced the US strikes on Iran, flights were halted because Jordan closed its airspace, said a source familiar with the ongoing effort. The goal is to leave a skeletal diplomatic crew behind, the source added.On June 11, the State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel from the embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil in light of the escalating conflict.In a security alert earlier Saturday, the embassy said: “Both the embassy and the consulate have temporarily suspended routine visa services, but remain open for consular services for U.S. citizens.”

What we know about the three nuclear sites targeted by the US
The US has struck three key nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump said Saturday evening. The sites are Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz, which lie at the heart of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.Here’s what we know about the three facilities:Natanz: The nuclear complex, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital Tehran, is considered Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility.Analysts say it is used to develop and assemble centrifuges for uranium enrichment, a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel.Natanz has six above-ground buildings and three underground structures, two of which can hold 50,000 centrifuges, according to the non-profit Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity at its above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90%.

Fordow: Much is still unknown about the full size and nature of this facility, located close to the holy city of Qom and buried deep in a group of mountains. A good chunk of what we do know comes from a trove of Iranian documents stolen years ago by Israeli intelligence.The main halls are an estimated 80 to 90 meters (around 262 to 295 feet) beneath the ground. The US is the only country with the kind of bomb required to strike that deep, Israeli officials and independent reports have previously said.Recent IAEA reports suggested Iran had ramped up production of enriched uranium to a level of 60% at Fordow. The facility now contains 2,700 centrifuges, according to experts and the IAEA.Isfahan: Isfahan, in central Iran, is home to the country’s largest nuclear research complex.The facility was built with support from China and opened in 1984, according to the NTI. According to NTI, 3,000 scientists are employed at Isfahan, and the site is “suspected of being the center” of Iran’s nuclear program.It “operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors,” as well as a “conversion facility, a fuel production plant, a zirconium cladding plant, and other facilities and laboratories,” the NTI says.

Posted on 2025/06/22 02:20 PM