Israel attacks Iranian nuclear facilities - a crucial blow?

Israel attacks Iranian nuclear facilities - a crucial blow?

Israel's unprecedented attacks on Iran had a complex and risky goal: to eliminate the country's controversial nuclear program.

focus of the attacks: important nuclear systems

Israel was specifically aimed at Nuclear systems - Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow - as well as several leading scientists who are involved in nuclear research and development.

damage and impact on the nuclear program

The extent of the damage and the survival ability of the Iranian nuclear program are currently unclear. In a press conference on Saturday, an Israeli military officer announced that the attacks on the nuclear locations in Natanz and ISFAhan had caused “significant” damage. Iran, on the other hand, stated that the damage was limited, but confirmed the death of nine experts.

"We are at a crucial point where we will not have a way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons that threaten our existence," said Israel's defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday.

"We have dealt with Iran's deputies in the past year and a half, but now we have to deal with the head of the snake."

The nuclear situation in Natanz

First assessments show that Israel's attacks on the Nuclear system from Natanz were extremely effective. These went far beyond superficial damage to the external structures and led to the power supply in the lower areas in which the uranium-enrichment centrifuges were stored, as two US officials reported.

"This was a comprehensive flash," explained a source familiar with the assessments.

The attacks destroyed the above-ground part of Natanz 'pilot Fuel Enrichment, a extensive facility that has been operated since 2003 and enriched up to 60 % purity in which Iran had enriched up to 60 %. Weaponable uranium is enriched to 90 %.

damage and their importance

CNN received radar images from the Umbra space company, which documented damage to several areas of the Natanz system. Other satellite images that were checked by CNN showed the same damage clearly, with black smoke, which visibly rose from several areas of the system.

The electrical infrastructure in Natanz- including the main building for the power supply as well as emergency electricity and backup generators- was also destroyed, according to the IAEO. This assessment is supported by the two US officials who reported that the power supply in the lower areas where the centrifuges are stored for uranium enrichment.

This aspect of the operation is crucial because a large part of the Natanz system is strongly attached and underground, which means that the power failure in these areas is the most effective way to impair underground systems and machines.

The situation in Isfahan

The extent of the damage to the nuclear system in Isfahan, the largest nuclear research center in Iran, was difficult to determine in the hours after the attack, since contradicting statements about the effects of the attack from Israel and Iran came up.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Iranian nuclear energy organization, said on Saturday that the damage to the facility was limited. The devices on the two facilities had been moved in the expectation of the attacks, said Kamalvandi. A dandruff on the site has caught fire and there is no risk of contamination.

Israel, on the other hand, was more optimistic; An official IDF official representative said during a press conference on Saturday that the system had suffered significant damage.

The Fordow power plant

The Fordow enrichment work is a much more difficult goal. The system is located deep in the mountains near Qom, in the north of Iran, and houses highly developed centrifuges, the uranium enriches up to high degrees of cleaning.

Israel aimed at the facility during his attacks on Friday, but the IAEO stated that it was not affected and the IDF reported no significant damage there. Iran's air defense shot an Israeli drone near the work on Friday evening, reported the Iranian State Media Agency Press TV.

The outcome of the Fordow system could be crucial for the overall success of Israel's attacks.

In 2023, the IAEO, based in Vienna, confirmed that uranium particles with an enrichment of 83.7 % - which is close to the 90 % enrichment limit for the production of an atomic bomb - in Fordow.

The future of the Iranian nuclear program

"If Fordow stays in operation, Israel's attacks could hardly slow Iran to the bomb," wrote James M. Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Politics at the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, on Friday.

acton said that Israel could possibly have the entrance to the system collapsed, but noticed that it would be a difficult task to destroy far more from the Fordow system.

The reporting was supported by CNN journalists Katie Polglase, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Christian Edwards, Henry Zeris, Thomas Bordeaux, Avery Schmit, Teele Rebane, Isaac Yee, Mostafa Salem, Betsy Klein, Sarah Ferris, Katie Bo Lillis, Kylie Atwood and Alayna Treene.