How the United States planned a strike on the Ford plant in Iran. Details

American journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the US attacks blocked Iran's access to the Fordo uranium enrichment center. Earlier, the American press reported minor damage to nuclear facilities, and the White House insisted on the destruction of infrastructure as a result of strikes. Why the Fordo facility is so important and how its decommissioning will affect the Iranian nuclear program is in the Izvestia article.

The Seymour Hersh Sensation

• American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published an article in which he stated that the United States, during the administration of President Joe Biden, long before the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, planned attacks on the Iranian nuclear fuel enrichment center at Fordo. There were stocks of enriched uranium at this facility, and its destruction was at the top of the US government's list of targets.

• The White House team, in cooperation with Israel, in the early months of Donald Trump's presidency, was looking for a way to destroy uranium enrichment centrifuges located 80 to 90 m underground in the rock. Even the most powerful American bombs could not reach such a depth — they lacked about 20 m.

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There is evidence that Tehran's enriched uranium was evacuated before the strikes began.

• Hersh claims that, instead of trying to destroy Iranian centrifuges, the strikes were aimed at destroying underground corridors and blocking access to the facility. The American bunker buster bombs used by the United States to attack the Fordo nuclear center were supposed to "seal" the equipment and uranium reserves under the rubble.

• According to an American journalist, despite the fact that the nuclear facility at Fordo could not be completely destroyed, the centrifuges and stocks of enriched uranium were completely isolated, which is confirmed by the absence of excess radiation levels in the plant area. The attack dealt a serious blow to the Iranian nuclear program: it may now take years to return to the previous level of uranium enrichment.

Hersh also doubts the conclusions of the report of the Office of Military Intelligence published by the American press, which shows that the damage to Iran's nuclear potential turned out to be insignificant and the country will be able to make up for the losses in a few months. The author of the publication emphasizes that Tehran lost access to the facility for several years and the purpose of the American strike on the nuclear center at Fordo was achieved — there is no access to centrifuges anymore.

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Fordo Nuclear Center

• The Fordo plant is the most reliably fortified nuclear facility in Iran, it is located in the mountains and is protected by rocks, and centrifuges where uranium is enriched can be located at a depth of up to 100 m. Thousands of modern Iranian centrifuges are located at the site, which allowed Tehran to enrich uranium to 60%.

• For a long time, the Fordo nuclear facility was strictly classified: Iran officially informed the IAEA of its existence in 2009, after it was announced by the intelligence services of Israel and Western countries. The United States was confident that the Fordo center was capable of producing weapons-grade uranium, and the destruction of the facility was considered tantamount to the destruction of Iran's nuclear technology.

• As a result of the American Operation Midnight Hammer, on the night of June 22, the United States, with the help of B-2 stealth aircraft, dropped 12 super-heavy bombs near the Fordo nuclear center, and also shelled nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. The United Nations Nuclear Watchdog has not recorded an increase in radiation levels outside the sites of Iran's nuclear facilities after the US attack, which confirms Hersh's conclusions.

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The decisive role was played by the superiority of Tehran's opponents in the air, experts believe.

• At the same time, the Western press, citing a preliminary US intelligence report, reported that Iran's key nuclear facilities were damaged but not destroyed. Iran allegedly prepared in advance for such a development of events and removed stocks of enriched uranium from Fordo. The press also suggests that the country still has centrifuges for enriching nuclear fuel, which were not delivered to the facility at the time of the strike. At the same time, US intelligence notes that it will take weeks for a full analysis of the situation.

• The White House reacted to the press reports, saying that the intelligence assessment was categorically incorrect and classified. According to Washington's official information, critical infrastructure in Fordo has been destroyed. At the same time, it will be difficult to analyze the consequences of the strikes, since Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA and has the right not to allow international experts to visit its nuclear facilities.

Iran's position

• Iran stated that the United States and Israel exaggerate the consequences of American strikes on nuclear facilities and denied information about their complete destruction. Tehran believes that the United States and Israel have not achieved their goals in Iran. The truce, brokered by the countries with the mediation of the United States, was celebrated in Iran as a victory over Israel.

• Iran intends to continue developing peaceful nuclear energy, despite the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA. Tehran notes that, in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the country has every right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and intends to preserve this right. At the same time, Tehran does not provide information about the condition of the facilities attacked by the United States, and does not comment on the fate of more than 400 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, which was reported by the IAEA experts in their report.