The Israeli army focused Iranian nuclear amenities, analysis scientists and senior army commanders in dozens of preemptive airstrikes early Friday morning in what it dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.“
The strikes — which the Israel Protection Forces mentioned included dropping “over 330 different munitions” on greater than 100 targets in Iran — prompted Iran to launch about 100 missiles at Israel in a retaliatory assault later Friday. The IDF mentioned its Iron Dome missile protection system intercepted a lot of the missiles, and U.S. officers confirmed that the USA helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles.
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin claimed intelligence confirmed “the Iranian regime has made significant progress in achieving nuclear capability and its ability to act against us,” calling it an rising and existential risk to Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the U.S. was not concerned in Israel’s airstrikes on Iran.
The assaults got here at some point after the Worldwide Atomic Power Company’s Board of Governors censured Iran for the primary time in 20 years for not working with its inspectors. Iran instantly introduced it might set up a 3rd enrichment website within the nation and swap out some centrifuges for extra superior ones.
The IAEA is the United Nations’ Vienna-based nuclear watchdog. It mentioned in a confidential report final month that Iran has additional elevated its stockpile of uranium enriched to close weapons-grade ranges, and known as on Tehran to urgently change course and adjust to the company’s probe.
President Trump on Friday urged Iran to “make a deal, before there is nothing left” and to comply with new restrictions on its nuclear program whereas it nonetheless can. The president has beforehand mentioned Iran can’t be allowed to counterpoint uranium, a time period Iran has not been prepared to simply accept. Steve Witkoff, the president’s Center East envoy, was set to carry a sixth spherical of talks with Iran within the Gulf state of Oman on Sunday.
Right here’s a take a look at some main Iranian websites and their significance in Tehran’s program.
Natanz enrichment facility
Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz, positioned some 135 miles southeast of Tehran, is the nation’s essential enrichment website.
This satellite tv for pc picture offered by Maxar Applied sciences reveals the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025.
Maxar Applied sciences through AP
A part of the ability on Iran’s Central Plateau is underground to defend towards potential airstrikes. It operates a number of cascades, or teams of centrifuges working collectively to extra shortly enrich uranium.
Iran is also burrowing into the Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, or Pickax Mountain, which is simply past Natanz’s southern fencing. Natanz has been focused by the Stuxnet pc virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation, which destroyed Iranian centrifuges. Two separate sabotage assaults, attributed to Israel, even have struck the ability.
In testimony Friday earlier than the U.N. about Israel’s strikes, IAEA Director-Common Rafael Mariano Grossi mentioned Iran confirmed that its Natanz Gas Enrichment Plant had been attacked. He mentioned the above-ground portion of the plant the place Iran was producing uranium enriched as much as 60% had “been destroyed” and centrifuges might have been broken. He mentioned Iranian authorities additionally reported assaults on the Fordow Gas Enrichment Plant and Esfahan website.
Fordo enrichment facility
Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordo is positioned some 60 miles southwest of Tehran. It additionally hosts centrifuge cascades, however isn’t as large a facility as Natanz.
This satellite tv for pc picture offered by Maxar Applied sciences reveals the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran on Jan. 24, 2025.
Maxar Applied sciences through AP
Buried beneath a mountain and guarded by anti-aircraft batteries, Fordo seems designed to resist airstrikes.
Its building started no less than in 2007, based on the IAEA, though Iran solely knowledgeable the U.N. nuclear watchdog concerning the facility in 2009 after the U.S. and allied Western intelligence businesses grew to become conscious of its existence.
This satellite tv for pc picture from Planet Labs PBC reveals the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran on April 1, 2025.
Planet Labs PBC / AP
Bushehr nuclear energy plant
Iran’s solely business nuclear energy plant is in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, some 465 miles south of Tehran. Development on the plant started beneath Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi within the mid-Nineteen Seventies. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the plant was repeatedly focused within the Iran-Iraq conflict. Russia later accomplished building of the ability.
The Bushehr reactors are seen on this Maxar Applied sciences satellite tv for pc picture from January 2025.
Satellite tv for pc picture © 2025 Maxar Applied sciences
Iran is constructing two different reactors prefer it on the website. Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the IAEA.
New reactors beneath building on the Bushehr website are seen on this Maxar Applied sciences satellite tv for pc picture from January 2025.
Satellite tv for pc picture © 2025 Maxar Applied sciences
Arak heavy water reactor
The Arak heavy water reactor is 155 miles southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it surely produces plutonium as a byproduct that may doubtlessly be utilized in nuclear weapons. That would supply Iran one other path to the bomb past enriched uranium, ought to it select to pursue the weapon. Iran had agreed beneath its 2015 nuclear take care of world powers to revamp the ability to alleviate proliferation issues.
The U.S. withdrew from the worldwide nuclear settlement often called the JCPOA, or Joint Complete Plan of Motion, in 2018, and Iran partially withdrew in 2019.
The Arak facility is seen on this Maxar Applied sciences satellite tv for pc picture from February 2025.
Satellite tv for pc picture © 2025 Maxar Applied sciences
Isfahan Nuclear Know-how Heart
The ability in Isfahan, some 215 miles southeast of Tehran, employs 1000’s of nuclear scientists. It is also residence to a few Chinese language analysis reactors and laboratories related to the nation’s atomic program.
The Isfahan facility is seen on this Maxar Applied sciences satellite tv for pc picture from March 2025.
Satellite tv for pc picture © 2025 Maxar Applied sciences
Tehran Analysis Reactor
The Tehran Analysis Reactor is on the headquarters of the Atomic Power Group of Iran, the civilian physique overseeing the nation’s atomic program. The U.S. truly offered Iran the reactor in 1967 as a part of America’s “Atoms for Peace” program throughout the Chilly Battle. It initially required extremely enriched uranium however was later retrofitted to make use of low-enriched uranium over proliferation issues.
The Tehran Analysis Reactor is seen on this Maxar Applied sciences satellite tv for pc picture from April 2025.
Satellite tv for pc picture © 2025 Maxar Applied sciences
Kathryn Watson,
Melissa Quinn and
Margaret Brennan
contributed to this report.
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