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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Satellite Images Show Iran's Buried Nuclear Sites That Trump Could Strike
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In its mission to take out Tehran's nuclear program, two of Iran's major sites are likely out of reach of Israeli weapons. Israel launched what it termed a "preemptive" campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists, as well as the country's ballistic missile sites and other military assets, on Friday. Iran responded with drone and ballistic missile barrages. Strikes launched by both countries continued into Thursday. Fordow, a major facility roughly 100 miles from the capital, Tehran, is built deep under a mountain. It is widely acknowledged the only real option to take out the site are 30,000-pound bunker-busting American bombs launched from U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers. However, there is another hub, known as Mt. Kolang Gaz La, which sits on the outskirts of the Natanz nuclear site, considered Tehran's main facility for enriching uranium southeast of the capital. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) published satellite imagery back in April that it said showed Iran was building a new security perimeter around the base of Mt. Kolang Gaz La. Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025. Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025. Institute for Science and International Security The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not visited the site of two nuclear tunnels at Mt. Kolang Gaz La, the organization has said. "The new complex features halls more deeply buried than the Fordow uranium enrichment site," ISIS said in its April assessment. Israel cannot collapse the Fordow, nor Mt. Kolang Gaz La sites, William Alberque told Newsweek. Alberque is a visiting fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center think tank and a former director of NATO's Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] Nonproliferation Center. Iran said in 2020 it had started construction on a new hall in "the heart of the mountain near Natanz," in the center of the country, to make advanced centrifuges. Israel and the U.S. have both insisted it is unacceptable for Iran to gain a nuclear weapon. While Tehran has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, officials have publicly discussed the possibility of weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump has kept the world on tenterhooks by refusing to confirm whether American aircraft and munitions would launch offensive action on Iranian sites. The Republican president insists Iran wants to "make a deal," but has privately approved attack plans, according to reports on Thursday, although no final decision has been rubber-stamped. The Israeli military said on Thursday it had struck an "inactive" nuclear reactor in Arak, east of Fordow, and a "nuclear weapons development site near Natanz." "This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Iranian state media confirmed an Israeli strike on the reactor and reported an attack on the Khondab heavy water facility. Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025, showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment site and construction to the south of the main complex. Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025, showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment site and construction to the south of the main complex. Institute for Science and International Security The IAEA said it had information indicating the half-built Khondab heavy water research reactor was hit, but said it was not operational and had no radiological impact. "With Iran, the facilities that we are most concerned about are the operating power plants, with Bushehr at the top of the list," Nickolas Roth, from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the Washington Post. Israel targeted Natanz in its initial strikes last week. Satellite imagery captured by Maxar, a space technology firm, on Saturday showed multiple damaged buildings at the site, while the IAEA said on Friday the aboveground part of the facility had been "destroyed," along with power infrastructure there. The watchdog then assessed on Monday that Israel had "severely damaged if not destroyed" centrifuges at the underground facility in Natanz. The belowground centrifuges were not hit directly, but strikes caused power cuts and "completely destroyed" the aboveground Natanz site, Rafael Grossi, chief of the IAEA, told the BBC. Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, described the country's facilities on Wednesday as in "good" condition, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. The agency told the U.N. Security Council at the time that Iranian authorities had reported attacks on Isfahan and to Fordow, but could not provide further details. But satellite imagery has indicated no visible damage to Fordow, a site publicly revealed in 2009. Israel struck nuclear-linked sites in Isfahan, south of Fordow, and damaged four buildings at the facility, Grossi said on Sunday. Trump has warned Iran—which has cast the U.S. as already involved—that it would face "the full strength and might" of the U.S. military on "levels you've never seen before" if Iran attacked the U.S. in any way. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened the U.S. on Wednesday with "irreparable damage" if Washington became militarily involved. "I may do it, I may not," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, when asked if he would launch attacks.
The Print
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
LAC tensions, China aiding Pakistan's WMD ambitions—what US flagged in annual worldwide threat report
The report says Pakistan perceives India as an 'existential threat' and will continue to pursue its military 'modernisation effort, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons, to offset India's conventional military advantage'. The report, released earlier this month, also said sometimes these supplies are transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. New Delhi: Pakistan almost 'certainly procures' foreign materials and technology for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) from foreign suppliers and intermediaries, 'very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China', the United States' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has said in its 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment report. The report has further said the 'ongoing tensions along India and China's Line of Actual Control border demarcation are capable of escalating quickly'. Referring to the troop disengagement in Depsang and Demchok in Eastern Ladakh in October last year, it says 'the disengagement did not resolve the longstanding dispute about border demarcation but reduced some tension still lingering' since the 2020 Galwan clash, with India considering China its 'primary adversary' and viewing Pakistan as 'an ancillary security problem to be managed despite cross-border attacks in mid-May by both India's and Pakistan's militaries'. Notably, Pakistan deployed Chinese-supplied fighters such as JF-17 and J10C, PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against India during the military hostilities between 7 and 10 May. Besides, multiple reports indicate that Pakistan is expected to receive the fifth-generation J-35A fighter jet from China later this year. Subsequently, the assessment states that Pakistan 'primarily is a recipient' of Beijing's 'economic and military largesse' and its forces conduct multiple military exercises with Chinese forces every year. 'Foreign materials and technology supporting Pakistan's WMD programs are very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China and sometimes are transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates,' the report said. India had launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of 7 May, targeting nine terror training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The strikes came in retaliation to the 22 April terror attack in Pahalgam, carried out by terrorists trained and backed by Pakistan, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. Pakistan reached out to Indian Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai 10 May to propose cessation of hostilities. The report released just the day after describes the escalation in detail, stating it included 'rounds of missile, drone and loitering munition attacks, and heavy artillery fire, by both militaries from 7 to 10 May'. Also Read:All about J-35A, the Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighter Pakistan plans to acquire On China A substantive portion of the DIA report focuses on China's rapid military and nuclear modernisation. The report estimates that China's operational nuclear warhead count has surpassed 600 and could exceed 1,000 by 2030. These warheads will 'be maintained at higher readiness levels to enable faster response times during conflicts,' it adds. On countering Beijing's expanding influence, it says that India is 'boosting its global leadership role' by advancing bilateral defence partnerships in the Indian Ocean region and increasing its participation in multilateral forums. These include the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) with the US, Australia and Japan; the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa); the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The paper also highlights India's strengthening of its nuclear triad and deterrence capabilities in 2024 by 'conducting the test of the nuclear-capable Agni-I Prime medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) and the Agni-V multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle while also commissioning its second nuclear-powered submarine'. India had commissioned its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arighaat, in August last year. The DIA further outlines India's focus on building indigenous defence capabilities through the 'Make in India' initiative, aimed at modernising the armed forces and mitigating supply chain risks. The assessment also says that, despite a reduction in arms procurement from Moscow, India will maintain its relationship with Russia 'since it views its ties to Russia as important for achieving its economic and defence objectives'. It adds that India continues to rely on 'Russian-origin spare parts to sustain a significant portion of its tank and fighter aircraft inventory', which has been described as 'the backbone of its military's ability to counter perceived threats from China and Pakistan'. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also Read: India used this battlefield hack to keep Soviet-era missile systems firing against Pakistan in Op Sindoor
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan to keep modernising its military: US report
Pakistan regards India as an existential threat and will continue to pursue its military modernization effort, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons, to offset India's conventional military advantage, said 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment. The assessment was prepared by the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and presented to the US House of Representatives' Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations based on information available as of May 11, 2025. Following the April 22 militant attack in occupied Kashmir, India conducted missile strikes in Pakistan. The missile strikes provoked multiple rounds of missile, drone, and loitering munition attacks, and heavy artillery fire, by both militaries from May 7 to May 10, when both countries agreed to a full ceasefire. The assessment said Pakistan is modernizing its nuclear arsenal and maintaining the security of its nuclear materials and nuclear command and control. "Pakistan almost certainly procures WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] applicable goods from foreign suppliers and intermediaries," it claimed. According to the assessment, Pakistan primarily is a recipient of China's economic and military largesse, and Pakistani forces conduct multiple combined military exercises every year with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), including a new air exercise completed in November 2024. "Foreign materials and technology supporting Pakistan's WMD programs are very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China, and sometimes are transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates." It stated that during the next year, the Pakistani military's top priorities are likely to remain cross-border skirmishes with regional neighbors, rising attacks by the TTP and Baloch militants, counterterrorism efforts, and nuclear modernization. It said despite Pakistan's daily operations during the past year, militants killed more than 2,500 people in Pakistan in 2024. It also claimed that terrorist attacks targeting Chinese workers who support China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects have also emerged as a point of friction between the two countries as seven Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan in 2024. According to the assessment, Pakistan and Iran have taken steps, including high-level meetings, to de-escalate tensions after the two countries conducted unilateral airstrikes on each other's territory in January 2024 in response to cross-border terror attacks. "In September 2024, Taliban and Pakistani border forces clashed near border posts, resulting in the death of eight Taliban fighters. In March 2025, Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged air and artillery strikes on each other's territory, each citing alleged militant infrastructure as the targets," it said. It stated that South Asia's security situation is shaped by various factors, including terrorism and longstanding mistrust among neighboring states, several of which are modernizing their militaries and nuclear capabilities. "Terrorist activity in Afghanistan and Pakistan will challenge military and security forces, and ongoing tensions along India and China's Line of Actual Control border demarcation are capable of escalating quickly. Russia and China continue efforts to bring regional powers closer into their respective spheres of influence," it added. The assessment said Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi's defense priorities will probably focus on demonstrating global leadership, countering China, and enhancing New Delhi's military power. "India views China as its primary adversary and Pakistan more an ancillary security problem to be managed, despite cross-border attacks in mid-May by both India's and Pakistan's militaries." It said to counter Chinese influence and boost its global leadership role, India is giving priority to advancing its bilateral defense partnerships in the Indian Ocean region through exercises, training, arms sales, and information sharing. India also has increased trilateral engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and actively participates in multilateral fora such as the Quadrilateral, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN. It said that China will continue to advance selected areas of partnership with Russia while avoiding actions such as overtly providing materiel or lethal military assistance to Russia that might elicit reputational or economic costs for Beijing.
India.com
25-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
After facing defeat against India, Pakistan taking help from China to..., US report reveals dangerous truth
(File) Pakistan nuclear weapons: After being pummeled into submission by India in the recently-paused Operation Sindoor, Pakistan is now engaged in modernizing its nuclear weapons arsenal at a frantic pace with the help of China, its 'all-weather ally', a recent US intelligence report has revealed. India at center of Pakistan Army's strategy According to the US intel report, after the recent clashes, Pakistan considers India a mortal threat to its existence, and believes that it cannot compete with its powerful and much larger neighbor with conventional weapons. The report warns that Pakistan is rapidly manufacturing tactical nuclear weapons that can be deployed in the battlefield in wake of another India-Pakistan war. Further, US intelligence agencies have highlighted that India now sits at the center of Pakistan Army's strategy, which considers New Delhi as a long-term threat, and its new weapons– conventional and nuclear– are being designed with Indian military strength in mind. Pakistan developing tactical nukes The report states that alongside conventional weapons, Pakistan is also developing tactical nuclear weapons or what it calls 'battlefield nuclear weapons' that are designed to be used within a limited area, and prove devastating in any India-Pakistan border clash. Additionally, the Pakistan Army, under its radical chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is modernizing its nuclear weapons stockpile and strengthening the nuclear command, for which it is indirectly procuring technology and materials via countries like China, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UAE. This illicit network of WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) supplies is being operated in utmost secrecy and in defiance of international rules, which raises serious questions on regional security, the report states. Pakistani military, economy now completely dependent on China The US intel report has also warned about Pakistan's military power and economy now being completely dependent on China, which is a major concern for South Asia as Beijing is likely to use any future India-Pakistan conflict as a testing ground for its weapons, such as fighter jets, air defense systems, and missiles. Citing the example of a major air exercise in November 2024, in which China's PLA and the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) reviewed their operational preparedness, the report noted that Pakistan and China are tied together in a tight military embrace as is evident from their joint military exercises. Apart from India, the report pointed out that the top priorities of the Pakistani army are likely to remain cross-border clashes with regional neighbors during the next year, including Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who killed more than 2500 people in Pakistan in insurgent attacks in 2024. Pakistan attempting to mend ties with Iran, Afghanistan Beyond the above developments, the intelligence report also noted that Pakistan was making attempts to mend strained ties with its neighbors, India and Afghanistan, with Islamabad holding a slew of meeting with Tehran last year to improve relations. Iran and Pakistan had carried out tit-for-tat airstrikes on each others border in 2024 resulting in soured ties between the two nations. Similarly, Islamabad's relations with Kabul have deteriorated as Pakistan accuses the ruling Afghan Taliban regime of supporting and aiding Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgents. In March 2025, the Pakistani Air Force carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan leading to border clashes between the two countries.
New York Post
29-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Chuck Todd denies US media failed to uncover Biden's mental demise: ‘Right-wing manufactured'
Former NBC host Chuck Todd denied that the mainstream media missed the story of Joe Biden's mental demise — calling it 'right-wing manufactured' spin. 'I just refuse to accept this stupid premise because it's a ring-wing manufactured, right-wing premise in order to sustain the media,' Todd, who hosted 'Meet the Press' for about 10 years, told former CNN pundit Chris Cillizza on his Substack channel on Monday. Todd insisted it was not the media's fault for overlooking Biden's demise, but that the blame should be placed on the Democrats in office who covered up the story. Advertisement 3 Former NBC host Chuck Todd slammed the idea that the media failed to report Joe Biden's mental decline. X / @ChrisCillizza 'This isn't WMDs [Weapons of Mass Destruction], where the White House worked with the mainstream media to manufacture a story that did not exist. That was a press failure, massive press failure,' Todd said, referring to the media's slanted coverage of President George W. Bush's 'War on Terror.' 'This is an attempt by some to virtue signal, and it's this horrible sort of pitting different news organizations against each other when ultimately the people at fault are Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, every elected member of Congress,' he insisted. More and more journalists have been stepping forward to decry the lack of coverage on the former president's mental decline before the disastrous debate last summer that dashed any hopes of his re-election. Advertisement Cillizza last year even issued an apology for not pushing harder on the story about Biden's mental and physical fitness. According to Cillizza, Republicans would 'regularly ping me' during his tenure at CNN to ask why he didn't address Biden's decline, but he would 'brush them off' because he had not seen 'evidence' that Biden was faltering — despite numerous verbal gaffes and physical stumbles. At the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, Axios' national political correspondent, Alex Thompson, called out the press for not challenging the White House's narrative that Biden was fit for a second term. Advertisement 3 Several journalists have come forward to acknowledge a failure of the mainstream media to uncover Joe Biden's mental demise. AFP via Getty Images 'President Biden's decline and its coverup by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception,' Thompson said. 'But being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story.' Thompson, like several other journalists, has a book coming out soon on Biden's decline and the White House's 'cover-up.' Advertisement 3 President Biden took a small fall while jogging up the stairs of Air Force One in 2021. Reuters But Todd claimed the narrative that the media failed to cover Biden's mental fitness is a brouhaha. 'The media's got plenty of things to attack them for, and there are MSNBC and CNN and pundits that absolutely carried water for Joe Biden, but they're not journalists. They're former strategists that carried water for Joe Biden,' Todd said. He referenced David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist who wrote a high-profile column in September 2023 arguing that Biden should not run again, and added that 'people like me were promoting Dean Phillips' campaign.'
