Israel believes it dealt serious blow to Iran’s Natanz enrichment site

Israeli authorities believe that their overnight airstrikes caused significant damage to Iran’s uranium enrichment facility located in the city of Natanz.

Sources familiar with the matter, quoted by Israeli media, say that the attacks inflicted substantial harm on the site, which is considered a central element of Iran’s nuclear program, Caliber.Az reports.

The extent of the damage has not yet been independently verified. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that it had received no reports indicating any breach of safe radiation levels following the strikes on Natanz.

The Natanz complex is a critical part of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, situated on a plain adjacent to mountain ranges near the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran. It houses two major enrichment facilities: the underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) and the smaller, above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP).

The FEP is designed for large-scale uranium enrichment and was originally built to accommodate up to 50,000 centrifuges. At present, approximately 14,000 centrifuges are installed at the site, of which around 11,000 are actively refining uranium to enrichment levels of up to 5%.

The PFEP, while far smaller and containing only a few hundred centrifuges, plays a more sensitive role. Iran is currently enriching uranium there to as high as 60% purity—a level approaching weapons-grade material.

The existence of the Natanz facility was first revealed in 2002 by an Iranian opposition group in exile. The disclosure triggered an extended international dispute over the true nature of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Security analysts and diplomats with knowledge of the site describe the FEP as being located approximately three stories below ground, offering it a degree of protection. For years, military and intelligence circles have debated the feasibility of inflicting serious structural damage to such a deeply buried facility through airstrikes.

Nonetheless, Natanz has suffered disruptions in the past. In April 2021, a combination of an explosion and a power outage—attributed by Iranian officials to Israeli sabotage—damaged a number of centrifuges at the FEP.

While full details of the most recent strike are still emerging, Israeli officials remain confident that the overnight operation has dealt a serious blow to Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities.

By Tamilla Hasanova