The Fordow Enrichment Facility – Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordow is located approximately 100 kilometers southwest of Tehran. It was built under a mountain near the city of Qom and is protected by anti-aircraft batteries. The facility appears to have been designed to withstand aerial attacks. According to satellite imagery, its construction began between 2002 and 2004, but Iran only reported its existence to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2009, after Western intelligence agencies, led by the United States, exposed the facility. Fordow is a relatively small facility, capable of housing only about 3,000 centrifuges. This led analysts to believe that the site could be used to divert and rapidly enrich low-grade uranium (from 60% to 90% — the level required for nuclear weapons). Under the nuclear deal form 2015 (JCPOA), Iran agreed to halt enrichment at Fordow and convert the facility into a research center. However, after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement, Iran resumed its enrichment activities there. Recent IAEA reports indicate that Iran has increased its production of uranium enriched to 60% at the Fordow facility, which currently houses approximately 2,700 centrifuges. Reports suggest that Iran could convert its current stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium into roughly 233 kilograms of weapons-grade uranium within three weeks — enough for nine nuclear bombs. Fordow is a central focus in Israel’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle Iran’s nuclear program. However, the United States is the only country that possesses the type of bomb necessary to successfully strike the underground Fordow nuclear site from the air.
