Israeli strike on Iran's Parchin facility disrupts key nuclear bomb development capabilities

The Israeli strike at the end of October on Iran’s military complex in Parchin significantly hindered Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear bomb, according to two senior Israeli officials.

The sophisticated equipment destroyed in the attack was essential for shaping and testing plastic explosives that encase uranium in a nuclear device and crucial for initiating a nuclear chain reaction. 

The equipment was previously used by Iran before it froze its military nuclear program in 2003.

Over the past year, Iran has resumed research related to nuclear weapons, according to American and Israeli officials, although it has not taken concrete steps toward building a nuclear bomb.

The Israeli officials noted that if Iran decides to develop nuclear weapons, it would need to replace the destroyed equipment. 

They believe Israeli or American intelligence would likely detect any attempt by Iran to build or acquire such machinery. “This equipment is a bottleneck. The Iranians are stuck without it,” one of them stated.

The Taleghan 2 facility within the Parchin military complex was used before 2003 for testing explosives necessary for a nuclear device. This activity was halted when Iran suspended its military nuclear program.

Additionally, the equipment destroyed had been stored at the site since at least 2003, Israeli officials say.

American and Israeli officials reported that Iran resumed scientific activities in the past year that could serve as a basis for developing nuclear weapons, although these could also be presented as civilian research.

“They conducted scientific work that could lay the groundwork for nuclear weapons production. It was highly secretive, known only to a small part of the Iranian government,” said an American official.

Strike disrupts Iran's nuclear progress

The destroyed equipment at Taleghan 2 was reportedly not being used for these research activities but would be critical in future stages if Iran decided to build a nuclear bomb.

“This is equipment the Iranians would need if they wanted to move towards a nuclear bomb. Now, they don’t have it, and finding an alternative won’t be easy. We would see any such effort,” a senior Israeli official explained.

When planning a retaliatory strike following Iran’s massive missile attack on October 1, Israel selected the Taleghan 2 facility as a target.

To avoid sparking a war with Iran, US President Joe Biden requested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not target Iranian nuclear sites, according to American officials. 

However, since Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran’s declared nuclear program, Tehran could not acknowledge its existence or the damage incurred without admitting to violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“The strike sent a not-so-subtle message that Israel has significant access to what is happening in the Iranian system, even with activities kept secret and known only to a very small group in the Iranian government,” noted an American official.