In late October, Israel destroyed an active nuclear weapons research center in Iran.
This is reported by Axios with reference to American and Israeli officials.
We are talking about the "Telegan-2" center on the territory of the "Parchyn" military complex, which is approximately 30 kilometers from the capital of Iran, Tehran. It was part of Iranʼs nuclear weapons program until Iran froze its work in 2003.
Satellite image of the Parchyn military complex, November 2022.
Axios writes that tests of explosives, which were supposed to activate a nuclear device, were carried out on "Telegan-2". A former Israeli official said an attack in late October destroyed sophisticated equipment needed for such research.
US and Israeli intelligence agencies noticed activity at the facility at the beginning of the year. Iranian scientists conducted computer simulations, researched metallurgy and explosives that could be used to create nuclear weapons. Axiosʼ sources say Iran has resumed research at the facility that could not only be used to develop nuclear weapons, but could also be presented as research for civilian purposes.
"They conducted scientific research that could lay the foundation for the production of nuclear weapons. It was a secret. Only a small part of the Iranian government knew about it,” one of the Axios interviewees said.
In June 2023, White House officials spoke with the Iranians about "suspicious research activities." The US had hoped that a direct warning would force Iran to stop its nuclear research, but it continued. However, Axiosʼ sources claim that the destruction of the Telegan-2 facility significantly undermined Iranʼs nuclear weapons research efforts.
- On October 26, Israel struck military facilities in Iran. The operation, codenamed Days of Repentance, was a response to more than a year of attacks by Tehran and its allies. This is the first military operation on the territory of Iran, for which the Israeli authorities have officially taken responsibility.
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