Axios: Israel Destroys Iran's 'Top Secret' Nuclear Facility

Axios news agency reported on Friday, November 25, citing several American and Israeli officials, that during the attack on November 5, Israel destroyed a top-secret nuclear weapons research site of the Islamic Republic in Parchin. According to American and Israeli officials, the attack significantly harmed the Iranian government's efforts to resume research on nuclear weapons. A former Israeli official familiar with the attack told Axios that the strike destroyed complex equipment used to design plastic explosives surrounding uranium in a nuclear device, which is necessary for detonating it. The Islamic Republic has always claimed to have a peaceful nuclear program, and Iran's UN mission refrained from commenting on Axios's report. Talqan 2, located in the military complex of Parchin, 20 kilometers southeast of Tehran, was one of the targets attacked by Israel in the early morning of November 5. Talqan 2 was part of the Iranian nuclear weapons program known as 'Amad' until its cessation in 2003. The Institute for Science and International Security has stated that it was used to test explosives necessary to activate a nuclear device. Satellite images released after the November 5 attack indicate its complete destruction. Axios reported that recent activities at Talqan 2 were part of Iran's efforts to conduct research that could be used for nuclear weapons development or civilian purposes. An American official stated that recent activities at Talqan 2 may have been a precursor to nuclear weapons production. He described these activities as top secret, adding that only a small fraction of Iranian officials were aware of them, while most were not informed. Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies became aware of the Islamic Republic's research activities in Parchin earlier this year. These activities included computer modeling, metallurgy, and explosive research that could be used for nuclear weapons. Axios previously reported that the White House had warned Iranian officials about their suspicious research activities in a direct and private conversation in June of this year. According to Axios's sources, the Americans hoped that their warning would lead to a halt in Iran's nuclear activities, but Tehran continued its operations. An American official stated that there had been 'widespread concern' about the Islamic Republic's activities at Talqan 2 months before the November 5 attack. Iran's nuclear research even prompted the Director of National Intelligence to change his assessment of Iran's nuclear program. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 10 that the National Intelligence report to Congress, unlike previous years, did not contain the statement that the Islamic Republic is currently not conducting key activities necessary for developing a testable nuclear device. When Israel was preparing to attack Iranian positions in response to Iran's missile attack on Israel on October 10, Talqan 2 was chosen as a target. Officials stated that Joe Biden asked Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities to avoid a large-scale war between Iran and Israel. However, since Talqan 2 was not part of the declared nuclear program of the Islamic Republic, Iran cannot acknowledge the significance of the attack on the site without admitting to violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. An American official told Axios that the attack on Talqan 2 conveyed the message that the Israelis have significant intelligence oversight even on top-secret matters known to only a few Iranian officials. On the morning of November 5, Israel conducted a 'precise and targeted' operation involving at least 100 fighter jets, targeting over 20 military positions mainly related to the Islamic Republic's air defense in four provinces: Tehran, Semnan, Ilam, and Khuzestan. These retaliatory attacks by Israel followed Iran's missile attack on October 10, during which over 180 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel. While Israel chose to attack military positions of the Islamic Republic, there was much speculation in the media about the possibility of an attack on nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure, and even political and military figures, including Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic. David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector, stated in a post on X, referencing commercial satellite images, that Israel targeted a building in Parchin named 'Talqan 2,' which was used for experimental activities during the now-defunct nuclear weapons development program known as 'Amad.' He cited documents stolen by Israel in 2018, stating that the Islamic Republic had kept important experimental equipment at 'Talqan 2.' Albright added that even if the Islamic Republic had removed key materials from this building before the Israeli airstrike, the intrinsic value of the building for future nuclear weapons-related activities should not be overlooked. He further noted that satellite images from Parchin show that Israel damaged three other buildings located 320 meters from 'Talqan 2.' In two of these three buildings, solid fuel for ballistic missiles was being mixed.