(Iran, 22nd)—The core of Iran’s nuclear program centers on two main uranium enrichment facilities—Natanz and Fordow. These two facilities can be used to produce enriched uranium, and once the uranium-235 isotope is refined to a high percentage, it becomes capable of supporting a nuclear fission chain reaction and can be further used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
To counter potential military strikes, both facilities were designed with a certain level of defensive capability in mind. Of the two, the larger Natanz facility is located in central Iran, with a layout that spans both above-ground and underground structures. Its underground section is built more than 40 meters beneath the surface and reinforced with a steel-reinforced concrete shell up to eight meters thick, causing external observers to regard it as a critical nuclear infrastructure with a high degree of protective capability.
To counter potential military strikes, both facilities were designed with a certain level of defensive capability in mind. Of the two, the larger Natanz facility is located in central Iran, with a layout that spans both above-ground and underground structures. Its underground section is built more than 40 meters beneath the surface and reinforced with a steel-reinforced concrete shell up to eight meters thick, causing external observers to regard it as a critical nuclear infrastructure with a high degree of protective capability.