Israel destroyed a nuclear research center in Iran, according to Axios

The Jewish state destroyed a nuclear weapons research center in Parchin, southeast of Tehran, during its strikes in Iran at the end of October, the American news site said this Friday, November 15. Axios which cites American and Israeli officials on condition of anonymity. These strikes were decided in retaliation for the rain of missiles launched by Iran on Israel in early October.

“A former Israeli official briefed on the strike said it destroyed sophisticated equipment used to design the plastic explosives that surround the uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it”reports Axios this Friday. This strike, adds the American media, has, according to the same sources, ‘significantly damaged Iran’s efforts over the past year to resume nuclear weapons research’. “The Iranian mission to the UN refused to comment” this assertion, it is clarified.

Images satellites

One of the specific targets of the Israeli army was the Taleghan 2 facility, located in the said Parchin military complex – “a site previously reported as inactive”, specifies Axios. The latter was integrated into the Iranian nuclear scientific program “Amad” active from 1989 to 2003 according to the Iranian authorities but which Israel suspects of having continued with the objective of developing nuclear weapons.

Satellite images shared by the Institute for Science and International Security, an American think tank specializing in nuclear non-proliferation, actually show that the Taleghan 2 building was “completely destroyed”continues Axios.

While Israel was preparing its response against Tehran, American President Joe Biden had clearly set a red line for the Jewish state not to attack Iranian nuclear facilities. “But Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran’s declared nuclear program, so the Iranians would not be able to recognize the significance of the attack without admitting that they violated the nuclear non-proliferation treaty”added Axios. Despite its nuclear program, Iran is indeed a signatory to the NPT, this 1968 treaty, which prohibits nuclear weapons (except for the five nuclear weapons states) but authorizes the civilian sector.