Natanz Nuclear Facility

The Natanz Nuclear Facility (Persian: تأسیسات هسته‌ای نطنز), officially the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facilities (Persian: تأسیسات هسته‌ای شهید احمدی روشن), is one of the nuclear facilities in Iran, which was built near Natanz for uranium enrichment. This center is part of Iran's nuclear program. The underground enrichment facility of this center is protected by a concrete shield with a thickness of approximately 7.6 m (25 ft). According to the Iranian authorities, the gas centrifuges in this center were built 40–50 metres (130–160 ft) underground, for safety reasons. and also for being safe from "possible air attack". The existence of this nuclear center was first exposed in 2002 by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Natanz was to be the only uranium enrichment site in Iran for 15 years, where it would enrich uranium up to 3.67%, under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards including 24-hour monitoring. In June 2025, during the Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran, the facility was bombed extensively by the Israeli Air Force. The above ground facility was said to have been partially destroyed during the strikes, according to IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. On 22 June 2025, the facility was bombed by the United States, using two heavy bunker busters dropped from a B-2 Spirit. On 2 March 2026, satellite images were made public which confirmed that the Natanz facility had sustained fresh damage in the 2026 Iran war. As of 3 March 2026, it is confirmed that while the core underground enrichment facility has not been destroyed, the significant damage to the entrance buildings at Natanz had made the facility inaccessible. On 21 March 2026, the U.S. conducted further strikes on the facility.