Israel's Strike on Iran's Fordow Nuclear Facility: Capabilities and Concerns

Strategic Insights -

Israel's recent attack on Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment site has sparked speculation about its plans to target the Fordow facility, which is deep underground and believed to be the only Iranian site where nuclear fuel purification is taking place. Despite Israel's ability to destroy the above-ground part of the facility, concerns remain about the possibility of clandestine nuclear development at Fordow. The site, originally built as a military facility for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has undergone significant transformations since its discovery in 2009.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fordow is located 30km northeast of the city of Qom in northwestern Iran, hundreds of meters inside a mountain, making it a challenging target for Israel.
  • Iran has installed centrifuges at Fordow, which can enrich uranium to near weapons-grade purity, and has connected two sets of centrifuges to allow for 60 percent purity enrichment.
  • The IAEA has discovered uranium particles at Fordow enriched to 83.7 percent purity, close to the 90 percent enrichment needed for weapons-grade uranium.
  • Iran has agreed to refrain from uranium enrichment and research at Fordow under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for 15 years.
  • The US has a Massive Ordnance Penetrator that could theoretically destroy Fordow, but its deployment is uncertain.
  • The IAEA has found no damage at Fordow, but its uranium enrichment capabilities are believed to be still functional.

Statistics:

  • 2,976: The number of spinning centrifuges Fordow can hold, according to the IAEA.
  • 50,000: The approximate number of centrifuges at Natanz, Iran's main nuclear site.
  • 20 percent: The enrichment level of uranium that Fordow was originally designed to produce.
  • 90 percent: The enrichment level required for uranium to become weapons-grade.
  • 13,600kg (30,000lbs): The weight of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
  • 2015: The year Iran, China, Russia, the US, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union signed the JCPOA.
  • 2009: The year Iran disclosed its conversion of Fordow to a nuclear site to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
  • 2023: The year the IAEA discovered uranium particles enriched to 83.7 percent purity at Fordow.

Sources:

  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/13/israel-kills-nuclear-scientists-strikes-sites-in-iran-who-did-it-target
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/19/why-israel-wants-us-bunker-busters-to-hit-irans-fordow-nuclear-site
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/18/did-trump-approve-israels-attack-on-iran-and-is-the-us-preparing-for-war
  • https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-nuclear-us-strike-israel-eeaad923bb2df019b05f31f2e11d486c