Inside Iran's concrete-encased nuke fortress buried under a mountain & ringed by air defences that Israel MUST destroy
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
IRAN's most heavily fortified nuclear base which Israel must destroy is hidden deep inside a mountain and surrounded by air defences.
The infamous Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is the paragon of the Ayatollah's nuclear programme and a symbol of the regime's technological capabilities.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
13
Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear base is unscathed following Israeli strikes
Credit: AFP
13
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear programme
Credit: AFP
13
Strikes between Israel and Iran come after Tel Aviv accused Tehran of making a nuclear bomb
Credit: AFP
13
Located just 100 miles south of the capital Tehran, Fordow is one of two nuclear enrichment sites in the country.
The other, which is based in Natanz, was reportedly partially destroyed as part of Israel's operation Rising Lion.
The precise missile blitz aimed at crippling Tehran's nuclear weapon developments come as Iran and Israel teeter on the brink of all out war.
Both sides continue to exchange deadly missile strikes, following Tel Aviv accusing Tehran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb last week.
Despite Israeli airstrikes successfully killing 14 Iranian nuclear scientists, wiping out top military brass and destroying key buildings - Fordow remains unscathed.
Buried deep inside the mountains with key facilities embedded up to 100 metres underground, Fordow remains to be a challenging target.
Its key purpose is pumping out enriched uranium - critical to developing nuclear warheads.
Centrifuges hidden deep down in the bunker are reportedly enriching uranium at up to 60 per cent, just below the crucial 90 per cent needed to create a nuclear weapon.
Explaining the goals of operation Red Lion, Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said that "the entire operation… really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow.'
The key bunker has even been branded as the 'the be-all and end-all of Iran's nuclear operation'.
Iran launches missiles at Israel after 'revenge' vow over nuclear site attacks
Former Middle East diplomat Brett McGurk said: 'If you don't get Fordow, you haven't eliminated their ability to produce weapons-grade material.'
Protected within an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp base, the mountainous site is heavily surveilled.
Guard towers stand 25 metres apart, primed air defences ring the perimeter, and a support headquarters is stationed nearby.
Satellite imagery shows two massive rings of steel fencing around the site - each with heavily armed checkpoints along the entrance road.
Up to three tunnel entrances can be seen in the centre - each one heavily guarded.
13
Firefighters work at the site on a strike in Tel Aviv
Credit: Reuters
13
The base is heavily protected by air defences and has been built into a mountain
Credit: AFP
13
Fordow is protected against a range of conventional bomb attacks and could potentially even fend off hugely powerful so-called "bunker buster" bombs.
The world's largest bomb is the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, delivered by B-2 bombers and exclusively made by the US.
These may be enough to reach the base's deepest points, according to reports.
But Washington has made its stance clear on the unilateral operation Red Lion, saying it would not directly get involved in Israel's conflict with Iran.
The Ayatollah's pariah state has been enriching uranium at Fordow since September 2011.
The site's existence was revealed two years before that, when British, French and US intelligence reports detailed a secret facility 'inconsistent with a peaceful [nuclear] programme.'
The Islamic Republic has long denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
13
A satellite image shows the Natanz nuclear facility after an Israeli airstrike in Iran June 14
Credit: Reuters
13
Workers at an enrichment control room at a facility in Natanz, Iran's other nuclear enrichment base
Credit: ITV
13
But last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had been producing 60 per cent purity uranium.
This uranium would be capable of being further enriched to the 90 per cent weapons grade benchmark.
Israel said this was proof that Iran was building a nuclear bomb -before launching their sophisticated missile blitz.
On Monday, Pakistan warned they would nuke Israel, according to a senior Iranian general amid the deadly missile salvos across the Middle East.
Strikes have been raining down across both countries for the last four days - with the US embassy in Tel Aviv now being damaged.
Which Iranian military chiefs and scientists have been killed?
ISRAEL has dealt a major blow to Iran's command chain - wiping out several of its top brass.
Key nuclear scientists have also been eliminated in Israel's overnight strikes.
Those killed include:
Generals Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri , chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
, chief of staff of the armed forces and the second-highest commander after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Gen. Hossein Salami , commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Gen. Gholamali Rashid , deputy commander in chief of the armed forces
, deputy commander in chief of the armed forces Ali Shamkhan , key adviser and confidant of Khamenei
, key adviser and confidant of Khamenei Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces
Nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi , the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Dr Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, theoretical physicist and president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran
Tension is now skyrocketing as the conflict threatens to spiral into a wider regional war with Pakistan also calling for the Islamic world to back Iran.
America could also be pulled into the conflict, with Donald Trump warning the "full strength and might" of the US military would be used if American assets were targeted.
Damage to the embassy was done during a third night of fierce missile exchange between Iran and Israel, with Benjamin Netanyahu claiming "regime change" in Tehran is imminent.
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador in Israel, said the embassy in Tel Aviv was damaged 'from concussions of Iranian missile hits' near the building but that no personnel were injured.
Benjamin Netanyahu said just before his latest blitz that Iran is now "very weak" as he warned of an impending "regime change" in Tehran.
13
B-2 Bombers may be able to strike deep enough on Fordow base
13
Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel
Credit: Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
27 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Israel warns hundreds of thousands to evacuate Tehran ahead of fresh strikes
The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 'At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies,' said Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes 'amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat', Brig Defrin said. Iran's state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland'. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its long-time adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.
South Wales Guardian
27 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Israel warns hundreds of thousands to evacuate Tehran ahead of fresh strikes
The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. The military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning affected up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. 'At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies,' said Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin. The military said it had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes 'amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat', Brig Defrin said. Iran's state-run news agency reported that state-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after an Israeli strike. During the broadcast, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland'. Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programmes. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, US ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its long-time adversary from getting any closer to building a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses to do so. Iran has retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.
Times
36 minutes ago
- Times
What weapons does Iran have and how long can it attack Israel?
The vast and limitless potential of Iran's capacity to strike Israel would soon become clear. Any previous attacks on the old enemy had merely been 'minor demonstrations' before Tehran's war machine swung into full gear. That, at least, is what Hossein Salami, the architect of Iran's missile programme, would have had us believe before the tumultuous events of the past five days. Yet the regime's response to Israel's operation, Rising Lion, has underscored the limitations of Tehran's missile programme. Many of its missile sites were destroyed before Iran even fired a shot in response. What was left has so far been used with devastating effect, levelling apartment blocks and killing at least 24 people over three days in a series of strikes that have pierced Israel's much-vaunted protective shield, the Iron Dome defence system. Iran, however, cannot maintain the intensity of these attacks which, in turn, have little to no impact on Israel's ability to strike back at will. Israel estimates Tehran has launched about 300 missiles so far, while an undisclosed but probably significant number were destroyed in air strikes and sabotage operations during the first few hours of the war. Tehran has been left with little way to defend its missile sites from airstrikes and the production of new weapons will be difficult as the stockpile dwindles by the day. Western intelligence had estimated before the war that Iran possessed about 2,000 to 3,000 missiles capable of reaching Israel. Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's national security adviser, said Iran still had 'thousands' more missiles at its disposal, suggesting previous estimates might have been an underestimation. The arsenal that we know about includes the hypersonic Fattah 1 and 2, which Iran claims are manoeuvrable in flight and can carry a warhead of up to 450kg. The larger Emad, which has an advertised range of just over 1000 miles, can carry a warhead of almost 800kg. The regime can also field its satellite-navigated Kheibar Shekan and possibly its recently announced Qassem Bassir, a missile purportedly equipped with defence-evasion capabilities. Days before the war, Iran had unveiled a two-tonne warhead it said could be fitted on to its existing missiles. Even if Iran's arsenal is larger and more sophisticated than previously thought, the regime knows it has entered an unsustainable war of attrition against a superior enemy. And, even if President Trump is reluctant for the US to take a greater role and provide 'bunker-buster' bombs to destroy Tehran's nuclear sites, there is little chance of Israel running out of weapons thanks to its stockpiles. Indeed, one western diplomat suggested that the intensity of Iran's attacks had already 'peaked'. That will remain to be seen. The response so far, however, is likely to have appeased regime hardliners who have for months clamoured for massive strikes against Israel. The humiliation of watching high-profile targets destroyed across Iran, and the deaths of senior figures within the regime, is likely to mean that the missiles will keep being fired, even if the present pace of the onslaught is not sustainable. Iran has already learnt it cannot overwhelm Israeli defences — the Iron Dome is still intercepting almost all the projectiles fired — despite Iran's claims that it has discovered a strategy to pierce the defences. 'The problem is the level of retaliation expected,' said Farzan Sabet, managing researcher at the Global Governance Centre. 'If Iran conducts a strike, it's not able to destroy [Israel's] retaliatory capability, but its enemy is capable of destroying its retaliatory capability.' He said this takes the Middle East down a 'path of a conflict which inevitably draws in the US'. Tehran's only hope is to strike Israel as hard as it can in an attempt to increase pressure on Israel to end the conflict before it draws in the entire region, including Iran's proxies in Iraq and Yemen. 'Iran's strategy, because it has a limited supply of missiles, is to inflict as much damage [as possible] to raise alarm in the international community and wear Israel down,' said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. 'Iran will certainly be looking for a climbdown but has conditioned it on Israel also drawing back its military operations.' For now, there seems to be little appetite in Israel for any kind of slowing down. The deaths in the past 24 hours will only increase the public clamour for action. The Israel Defence Forces said on Monday it would continue to 'push east' to target Iran's missile and nuclear programmes. 'More than 50 fighter jets and aircraft carried out strikes and destroyed over 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers,' said Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the military spokesman. 'This amounts to one third of the surface-to-surface missile launchers possessed by the Iranian regime.'
