Reports: Israel destroyed active nuclear weapons research facility in Iran

The report cites information from three U.S. officials, one current Israeli official, and one former Israeli official who say the strike destroyed sophisticated equipment used to design the plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear weapon and are needed to detonate it.

Israeli and U.S. officials said the recent activity at the facility was part of an effort inside the Iranian government to conduct research that could be used for the development of nuclear weapons but could also be presented as research for civilian purposes.

A closer look: One of the targeted facilities—Taleghan 2—is located in the Parchin military complex about 20 miles southeast of Tehran. Historically the facility was part of Iran’s nuclear weapons program until the program was halted in 2003. The facility was reported to be inactive.

High-resolution satellite imagery acquired by the Institute for Science and International Security after the Israeli strike showed that the Taleghan 2 buildings were completely destroyed.

Quotable: Axios quoted a U.S. official as saying, “[The Iranians] conducted scientific activity that could lay the ground for the production of a nuclear weapon. It was a top secret thing. A small part of the Iranian government knew about this, but most of the Iranian government didn’t.”

Iran has denied it is pursuing nuclear weapons. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement last week that “Iran is not after nuclear weapons, period.”

Mounting concerns: In June, the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for its failure to cooperate with access requests and materials needed to confirm that the nation is adhering to nuclear safeguard obligations.

According to the IAEA, two sites near Tehran have traces of processed uranium, but Iran was sharing no “technically credible” explanations for the presence of uranium particles at these undeclared locations.

IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said the agency could not confirm the correctness and completeness of Iran’s compliance without more information. The agency called for Iran to “reverse its withdrawal of the designations of several experienced agency inspectors, which is essential to fully allow the agency to conduct its verification activities in Iran effectively.”

In August, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believed Iran was not working to build a nuclear device. However, the director of national intelligence warned in a report that Iran had “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.”

Warning signs: Israeli and U.S. intelligence began detecting research activity at Parchin earlier this year, including Iranian scientists conducting computer modeling, metallurgy, and explosive research that could be used for nuclear weapons.

And in June, the White House officials privately warned Iranians in direct conversations about the suspicious research activities, Axios reported.

When Israel prepared its retaliation for Iran's massive October 1 missile attack, the Taleghan 2 facility was chosen as a target. Since Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran’s declared nuclear program, the Iranians wouldn’t be able to acknowledge the significance of the attack with admitting they violated the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“The strike was a not-so-subtle message that the Israelis have significant insight into the Iranian system even when it comes to things that were kept top secret and known to a very small group of people in the Iranian government,” a U.S. official said.

What’s next? The IAEA board of governors will meet soon and vote on another censure resolution against Iran for its lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Iran has said it could respond by limiting its cooperation with the IAEA.