Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan: The 3 Key Iranian Nuclear Sites US Attacked
The US on Sunday joined Israel's war against Iran by bombing Tehran's three key nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The strikes, the first-ever direct US military involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, are a major escalation, spreading fears of a full-blown war in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the American planes "completed a very successful attack".
"All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he said.
The attack by the US comes two days after Trump said he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the US should enter the conflict on Israel's side. Tel Aviv, for more than a week, has been targeting Iran's nuclear capabilities to cripple their defence systems and missile infrastructure.
A look at the three Iranian nuclear facilities
Fordow Nuclear Facility
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located some 100 kilometers southwest of Tehran, is Iran's most secretive and heavily protected nuclear facility buried deep beneath a mountain. The site is a major facility that only the US had the firepower to destroy. While Trump did not identify the type of munitions used in the strikes, the B-2 bombers were likely used to hit Fordow, reported news agency Reuters.
The Fordow nuclear site was an enrichment plant capable of housing about 3,000 centrifuges - which are used to enrich uranium, both for civilian and military use, with the radioactive metal needing to be enriched to high levels for use in atomic weapons. The facility was designed to resist airstrikes and foreign interference. The site's location was originally part of a missile base controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). For years, its existence was hidden from global watchdogs. However, in 2009, the Western intelligence agencies exposed the plant, which then led Iran to officially disclose it to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The plant was originally built to hold about 3,000 IR-1 centrifuges, arranged in two separate sections. Its base was protected by surface-to-air missiles, including Russia's S-300 system, and was reinforced to survive sustained bombardment.
What made Fordow formidable was its depth, which put it far beyond the reach of conventional bombs and even advanced Israeli munitions. The site's location had presented a challenge to Israeli forces for the past nearly two weeks as they did not have the deeply penetrating munitions needed to hit the facility.
When Iran signed the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) with other superpowers, including the US, Fordow's enrichment activity was halted and it was planned to be repurposed for peaceful scientific use. However, as Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during his first term, Iran resumed enrichment at Fordow.
Fordow is now seen as Iran's last and most critical enrichment plant. As of 2025, around 2,000 centrifuges, including advanced IR-6 models, are operational at the site. It reportedly produces an estimated 166 kg of 60 per cent enriched uranium every three months.
Natanz Nuclear Facility
Known as "Iran's crown jewel of uranium enrichment", Natanz is another primary uranium enrichment site located 220 kilometers southeast of Tehran. This facility had already been targeted by Israeli strikes. Uranium had been enriched to up to 60 per cent purity at the site - a mildly radioactive level but a short step away from weapons grade - before Israel destroyed the aboveground part of the facility earlier this week.
According to the IAEA, the Israeli strikes destroyed most, if not all, of the centrifuges at the site. It caused contamination only at the facility and not the surrounding area, it added.
Natanz operates over 50,000 centrifuges, many buried underground. It has long been a focal point of international concern.
One part of the Natanz facility on Iran's Central Plateau is underground to defend against potential airstrikes.
Isfahan Nuclear Facility
Established with Chinese support in 1984, the Isfahan site houses Iran's largest nuclear research centre within the University of Isfahan. The facility, around 350 kilometers southeast of Tehran, employs over 3,000 nuclear scientists. It is also home to three Chinese research reactors and laboratories associated with the country's atomic program.
The nuclear facility plays a central role in Iran's nuclear program, housing a uranium conversion facility and a nuclear fuel fabrication plant.
Israel has struck buildings at the Isfahan nuclear site, hitting among them a uranium conversion facility. According to the IAEA, there has been no sign of increased radiation at the site.
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