General Discussion

Natanz
Roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, Natanz is considered Iran’s main center for uranium enrichment, and it was a prime target of the Israeli strikes. The damage to it appeared to be severe. It is only partially underground and was recently reinforced.

It contains a range of sophisticated centrifuges, including the most advanced models, for enriching uranium to high levels. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, says there are nearly 14,000 centrifuges at work there, with thousands more in place but inactive.

Uranium enriched at low levels can be used as fuel for civilian uses, such as producing energy. Highly enriched uranium can be used to make nuclear weapons.

Natanz has been targeted in the past, with a computer virus, Stuxnet, some 15 years ago, and with sabotage and explosions as recently as 2021. Iran has always in the past repaired the damage and increased the sophistication of its centrifuges.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the I.A.E.A., confirmed on Friday that Natanz had been hit but said that no radiation leak had been detected so far. He condemned attacks on nuclear facilities in general, as he has done in Ukraine, as very dangerous.

“Any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region and beyond,” Mr. Grossi told the agency’s board of governors in Vienna.