Donald Trump has been praising US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities – but intelligence suggests the destruction may not have been emphatic as he claims.
In fact, the attacks may have just set the programme back by months, rather than eliminated it entirely – see our post at 21.16.
As a reminder, this map shows the key nuclear locations – and we’ll be going through each one.
For context, we use the term nuclear proliferation a lot below, so here’s the definition:
The spread of nuclear weapons, and, more generally, the spread of nuclear technology and knowledge that might be put to military use. Nuclear proliferation is controlled by the Nuclear Non‐proliferation Treaty, which recognises five nuclear states: the US, the UK, Russia, China and France. Oxford Reference
Natanz
One of Iran’s principal uranium enrichment complexes lies on a plain adjacent to mountains outside the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom, south of Tehran.
Natanz houses facilities including two enrichment plants: the vast, underground Fuel Enrichment Plant and the above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant.
It was revealed in 2002 that Iran was secretly building the facility, which is said to be three floors underground.
Fordow
Another enrichment site can be found at Fordow – one that is extremely well protected, given that it’s thought to be dug into the side of a mountain.
Isfahan
Iran’s second-biggest city is home to a large nuclear technology centre, which includes a Fuel Plate Fabrication Plant and a uranium conversion facility.
There is equipment at Isfahan to make uranium metal, a process that is particularly proliferation-sensitive since it can be used to create the core of a nuclear bomb.
Khondab
In Khondab lies a partially built heavy-water research reactor.
These pose a nuclear proliferation risk because they can produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it plans to bring the reactor online in 2026, with a previous 2015 deal seeing the reactor’s core removed and filled with concrete to make it unusable.
Tehran
Iran’s nuclear research facilities in its capital Tehran include a research reactor.
Bushehr
Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant lies in the Bushehr area on the Gulf coast.
The facility uses Russian fuel that Moscow then takes back when it is spent, therefore reducing the proliferation risk.
Iran executes three men accused of spying for Israel – as Trump rejects US intel on nuclear sites
