Israeli airstrikes in Iran last month reportedly destroyed a top secret key nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, significantly hampering Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear explosive device. As per reports, Tehran is set for retaliation!
The October 26 operation targeted “sophisticated equipment used to design plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it,” according to a report from Axios citing multiple US and Israeli officials.
The facility, known as the “Taleghan 2” complex, in the Parchin military complex, about 20 miles southeast of Tehran, was struck as part of a broader operation involving dozens of Israeli aircraft targeting Iranian drones and missile manufacturing sites, and air defense batteries.
While Israel typically refrains from striking nuclear-related sites, the Taleghan 2 facility was an exception due to its clandestine nature and its exclusion from Iran’s declared nuclear program.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes and denies any military ambitions. Acknowledging the strike’s impact would force Tehran to admit to potential violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, an admission Iran has carefully avoided.
Israeli officials emphasized the strategic importance of the strike. By destroying the specialized equipment at Taleghan 2, Iran’s nuclear weapons research efforts have been significantly set back.
“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 US official told Axios.
Officials noted that Iran would need to replace the destroyed equipment to advance its nuclear ambitions. Israeli officials further noted that any attempts by Iran to procure similar equipment would likely be tracked, allowing Israel to maintain its strategic advantage.
According to a senior Israeli official quoted by the Times of Israel, “This equipment is a bottleneck. Without it, the Iranians are stuck.” The destruction of such critical infrastructure complicates Tehran’s ability to make progress toward a nuclear bomb.
Meanwhile, in an address to IRGC forces, as quoted by Tehran Times, Major General Hossein Salami said, “You (Israel) will receive painful blows. Wait for the retaliation.”
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, said, “We determine the timing and manner of our response, and we will not hesitate. The Army chief emphasized that “Our retaliation will be crushing.”
Former IRGC chief and current member of Iran’s Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaee, said Iran is preparing to attack Israel directly for the third time this year. “We are preparing to execute Operation True Promise III,” he said during a ceremony.
A Major Setback for Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions?
Satellite imagery has confirmed the strikes on the Parchin facility, a site historically linked to Iran’s nuclear program before it was officially shut down in 2003.
The strike served as a clear signal of Israel’s intelligence capabilities, penetrating even the most secretive layers of Iran’s nuclear operations. A US official also described the attack as a message that Israel possesses deep insights into Iran’s covert activities.
Earlier this year, the US and Israeli intelligence began detecting renewed activity at Parchin’s Taleghan 2 complex. Reports indicated that Iranian scientists were conducting computer modeling, metallurgy, and explosives research—efforts directly relevant to creating a nuclear weapon.
These activities were reportedly so secretive that only a small fraction of the Iranian government knew about them. A US official stated, “They conducted scientific activity that could lay the groundwork for the production of a weapon. It was top-secret. Most of the Iranian government didn’t know about this.”
The discovery of such activities prompted the US Director of National Intelligence to revise its assessment of Iran’s nuclear program in August.
The previous assessment had noted that Iran was “not currently undertaking” the steps necessary to produce a testable nuclear device. The newly uncovered research at Taleghan 2 challenged this narrative, raising fresh concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Although the United States reportedly urged Israel to avoid targeting nuclear-related sites during the operation to prevent a major escalation, it supported Israel’s broader response to Iran’s provocations.
The airstrikes were seen as retaliation for Iran’s October 1 attack, in which the Islamic Republic fired 181 ballistic missiles at Israel—the second direct attack since April.
The EurAsian Times has reached out to the Iranian Foreign and Defense Ministries for their comments on the October 26 attack on the Parchin facility. The story will be updated as soon as any response is received.
The strike has also sparked debate among experts about its impact on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Defense analyst Eric Newton argued that targeting advanced equipment for creating plastic explosives, essential for nuclear detonation, might not yield significant results.
He noted that Iran likely has access to multiple facilities or can procure such equipment from international allies like Russia, China, or North Korea, suggesting that the operation may not cripple Iran’s long-term ambitions.
An open-source military technology analyst clarified that the strike on the Taleghan-2 building was not unexpected news. According to the analyst, reports confirming the building as a target surfaced shortly after the operation.
The facility has long been associated with neutron initiator development, a critical component in nuclear weapon design. Its involvement in such activities has been reported for over 25 years.
Brazil-based Defense analyst Patricia Marins has expressed skepticism about the claims regarding the strike on the Iranian nuclear facility, questioning the validity of the reports due to the lack of concrete evidence.
Speaking to EurAsian Times, she pointed out that many of Iran’s most secure nuclear facilities are located deep underground, between 60 and 500 meters, making them difficult to target effectively.
Marins suggested that the claims might be more aligned with Israeli rhetoric, particularly that of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who may be seeking to boost his popularity.
She argued, “These facilities on the surface are more connected to solid fuel production and missile sector. From the satellite images, we can see damage that is compatible with drone attacks. I don’t see this attack able to cause any relevant impact on the Iranian nuclear program.”
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