Iran's nuclear programme: the key sites
Vienna – The US military attacked three sites in Iran on Sunday — Natanz, Isfahan and the mountain-buried Fordo, all key parts of Tehran's nuclear programme, which it maintains is purely for civilian purposes.
American planes launched a 'very successful attack', US President Donald Trump said, claiming Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities had been 'completely and totally obliterated'.
Trump has said Tehran must never get a nuclear weapon, and ally Israel has claimed its attacks on Iran have set back the country's nuclear weapons progress by several years.
Iran has always denied any ambition to develop nuclear weapons and maintained its right to a civilian nuclear programme.
Iran has significantly ramped up its nuclear programme in recent years, after a landmark deal with world powers curbing its nuclear activities in exchange for sanction relief began to unravel in 2018 when the United States under Trump unilaterally withdrew.
As of mid-May, Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile was estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms — or more than 45 times the limit set out in the 2015 deal — according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Among its stockpiles, Iran has an estimated 408.6 kilograms (901 pounds) enriched to up to 60 percent — just a short step from the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.
The country now theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for about 10 nuclear bombs, according to the definition by the Vienna-based IAEA.
Below is a list of Iran's key nuclear sites, which are subject to regular inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog:
– Uranium enrichment plants –
NATANZ: About 250 kilometres (150 miles) south of Tehran, Natanz is Iran's heavily bunkered main uranium enrichment site, whose existence was first revealed in 2002.
Natanz operates nearly 70 cascades of centrifuges at its two enrichment plants, one of which is underground. A cascade is a series of centrifuges — machines used in the process of enriching uranium.
In April 2021, the site was damaged in an attack that Iran said was an act of sabotage by Israel.
Israel said its recent strikes had hit the 'heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme', targeting the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi confirmed the Natanz site was 'among targets'.
FORDO: Secretly built in violation of United Nations resolutions under a mountain near the holy central city of Qom, Fordo was first publicly revealed in 2009.
Initially described as an 'emergency' facility built underground to protect it from potential air attacks, Iran later indicated it was an enrichment plant capable of housing about 3,000 centrifuges.
In 2023, uranium particles enriched up to 83.7 percent were discovered at the Fordo plant, which Iran claimed were the product of 'unintended fluctuations' during the enrichment process.
Trump has called it 'the primary site'.
– Uranium conversion and research reactors –
ISFAHAN: At the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan in central Iran, raw mined uranium is processed into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) and then into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a feed gas for centrifuges.
The plant was industrially tested in 2004 upon its completion.
The Isfahan centre also harbours a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, which was inaugurated in 2009 and produces low-enriched fuel for use in power plants.
In July 2022, Iran announced plans to construct a new research reactor there.
Four of its buildings have been hit by Israel since June 13, including a uranium conversion plant.
ARAK: Work on the Arak heavy-water research reactor on the outskirts of the village of Khondab began in the 2000s, but was halted under the terms of the 2015 deal.
Iran has meanwhile informed the IAEA about its plans to commission the reactor by 2026.
The research reactor was officially intended to produce plutonium for medical research and the site includes a production plant for heavy water.
TEHRAN: The Tehran nuclear research centre houses a reactor that was supplied by the United States in 1967 for the production of medical radioisotopes.
– Nuclear power plant –
BUSHEHR: Iran's only nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr was built by Russia and began operating at a lower capacity in 2011 before being plugged into the national power grid in 2012.
Russia continues to deliver nuclear fuel for the plant, which remains under IAEA control.
A German company began construction on the plant with a 1,000-megawatt nominal capacity until the project was halted in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Moscow later completed it.
DARKHOVIN AND SIRIK: Iran began construction in late 2022 on a 300-megawatt power plant in Darkhovin, in the country's southwest.
In early 2024, it also began work in Sirik, in the Strait of Hormuz, on a new complex of four individual plants with a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraqi News
2 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq, Arab states express frustration over US strikes on Iran
Dubai – Arab countries on Sunday strongly condemned the US air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, warning of serious repercussions and calling for a return to diplomacy. Iran's former arch-rival in the region, Saudi Arabia, which has been engaged in a Chinese-brokered detente with Tehran since 2023, expressed 'great concern' over the attacks. Gulf countries have been engaged in a diplomatic frenzy for solutions since Israel launched its air campaign on their neighbour Iran on June 13. Many of the oil-rich countries host major US assets and bases and fear that a spillover from the war could threaten their security and economy. Qatar, host of the biggest US military base in the Middle East, said it feared 'catastrophic consequences' for the region and the entire world. Yemen's Huthi rebels repeated threats to target US vessels and warships in the Red Sea after the overnight strikes, describing them as a 'war declaration' on the Iranian people. On Saturday, the Iran-backed group threatened to resume attacks on US vessels and warships in the Red Sea despite a recent Oman-mediated truce, should Washington strike Iran. US President Donald Trump said the attacks destroyed Iran's main nuclear sites, describing them as a 'spectacular military success'. But his allies in the Gulf, who neighbour Iran, were urging a return to diplomacy. Oman, which was mediating nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, strongly condemned the US strikes labelling them illegal and calling for immediate deescalation. The United Arab Emirates expressed concern after the attack, calling for 'an immediate end to the escalation'. Bahrain, home to a major US naval base, told most of its government employees to work from home until further notice following the escalation. The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which covers the region, is based in Bahrain. Kuwait said its finance ministry had activated an emergency plan that includes readying shelters. The Palestinian militant group Hamas condemned what it called 'blatant US aggression' against Iran. Iraq, which also hosts US bases, expressed 'deep concern and strong condemnation' of the attacks, government spokesperson Basim Alawadi said, labelling them 'a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East'. Fears are growing in Iraq over a possible intervention by Iran-backed armed factions, who have threatened Washington's interests in the region if it were to join Israel in its war against Iran. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, largely seen as close to the United States, urged both sides to resume talks to restore stability in the region. The country has been reeling from a destructive conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group over the Gaza war, which ended with a fragile truce last November despite frequent Israeli attacks on the group. Egypt also condemned the escalation in Iran, warning of 'dangerous repercussions' for the region and calling for diplomacy.
Iraqi News
2 hours ago
- Iraqi News
US claims attacks wrecked Iran's nuclear program
Washington – Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran's nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday as Washington sought to assess what remained of the three targeted sites. The surprise strikes threaten to deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement. But the United States said President Donald Trump wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. 'We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,' Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation 'did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.' Trump 'seeks peace, and Iran should take that path', Hegseth said. 'This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change.' Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that 'it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.' 'Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,' he told reporters. People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed. Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning. Israeli security forces and media gather at the site of an Iranian strike that hit a residential neighbourhood in the Ramat Aviv area in Tel Aviv 'We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it's years or beyond,' he told ABC. 'We're not at war with Iran — we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,' he added. 'The president took decisive action to destroy that program last night.' In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city was heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel's initial attacks. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had 'crossed a very big red line,' asserting Iran would continue to defend itself 'by all means necessary.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to 'target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.' The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was 'too soon' to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site. The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings, Caine said. In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv. Advertisement – Scroll to Continue Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded. In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war. 'Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,' he said. US President Donald Trump addresses the nation after Iran strikes Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran's official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city's north. The Israeli military said it had 'struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralized the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory.' Iran's Shargh newspaper reported that a 'massive explosion was heard' Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant. Advertisement – Scroll to Continue Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and urged de-escalation. The European Union called on all sides 'to step back,' while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Iran's Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships. The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons. Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's right to pursue a civilian nuclear program 'cannot be taken away… by threats or war.'
Iraqi News
2 hours ago
- Iraqi News
US Embassy stays open in Baghdad despite escalation in Iran conflict
Baghdad ( – Despite launching airstrikes on Iran over the weekend, the United States continues to operate its diplomatic missions in Iraq, signaling a cautious commitment to regional presence even as tensions mount. More personnel from the United States diplomatic mission departed Iraq over the weekend as part of ongoing efforts to reduce embassy staffing. The evacuation process began shortly before Israel's initial attacks on Iran. The situation escalated further on Sunday when U.S. forces joined the conflict with targeted air raids. Still, both the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate General in Erbil remain open and active. Meanwhile, Iraq has appealed to both Washington and Tehran to avoid turning its territory into a battleground. Baghdad is striving to stay out of the escalating conflict, but the U.S. military engagement has fueled concerns that Iranian-backed groups within Iraq could respond with attacks on American facilities or personnel.
