Israel destroyed equipment Iran would need to develop nuclear weapon, officials say
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A 2004 satellite image of Iran's Parchin military complex. Photo: Maxar Technologies via Getty
The Israeli strike on Iran's Parchin military complex in late October will make it much harder for Iran to develop a nuclear explosive device if it chooses to do so, two Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The sophisticated equipment that was destroyed is needed to design and test plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it. It dates back to before Iran ended its military nuclear program in 2003.
- Iran has resumed sensitive nuclear research over the past year, U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios, but has not taken steps toward building an actual nuclear weapon.
- The Israeli officials said that if Iran does decide to pursue a nuclear weapon, it will need to replace the equipment that was destroyed — and if Iran tries to procure it, they believe they will be able to track it.
- "This equipment is a bottleneck. Without it the Iranians are stuck," a senior Israeli official with direct knowledge told Axios.
Between the lines: The Israeli officials are describing the intelligence picture as they understand it, though it's not possible to speak with perfect clarity about Iran's nuclear plans and capabilities.
Driving the news: The Taleghan 2 facility in the Parchin military complex which was destroyed in the strike was used prior to 2003 for testing explosives needed to set off a nuclear device, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.
- The equipment was developed part of Iran's now-shuttered military nuclear program and has been stored facility for at least two decades, Israeli officials say.
What they're saying: U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios that Iran resumed research over the last year that could be used for the development of nuclear weapons, but could also be justified as research for civilian purposes.
- "They conducted scientific activity that could lay the ground for the production of a nuclear weapon. It was a top secret thing. A small part of the Iranian government knew about this, but most of the Iranian government didn't," a U.S. official said.
- The equipment at the Taleghan 2 facility has not been used in that research, but could have become critical in the latter stages if Iran decided to move towards a nuclear bomb.
- "This is equipment the Iranians would need in the future if they want to make progress towards a nuclear bomb. Now they don't have it anymore and it is not trivial. They will need to find another solution and we will see it," an Israeli official said.
Behind the scenes: When Israel prepared its retaliation for Iran's massive Oct. 1 missile attack, the Taleghan 2 facility was chosen as a target.
- President Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities in order not to trigger a war with Iran, U.S. officials said.
- But Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran's declared nuclear program so the Iranians wouldn't be able to acknowledge the significance of the attack without admitting they violated the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
- "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 U.S. official said.
