Explosions heard in Natanz, home to key nuclear site, says Iranian state television

Blasts were heard in Natanz city in Iran’s central province of Isfahan, where a key nuclear site is located, Iranian state TV reports.

“Loud explosions were heard in Natanz,” which hosts one of the main uranium enrichment facilities, state TV reports.

Iran has two underground nuclear sites, at Fordo and Natanz, and has been building tunnels in the mountains near Natanz since suspected Israeli sabotage attacks targeted that facility.

A complex at the heart of Iran’s enrichment program on a plain abutting mountains outside the Shi’ite Muslim holy city of Qom, south of Tehran. Natanz houses facilities including two enrichment plants: the vast, underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) and the above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP).

An exiled Iranian opposition group revealed in 2002 that Iran was secretly building Natanz, igniting the diplomatic standoff between the West and Iran over its nuclear intentions.

The FEP was built for enrichment on a commercial scale, able to house 50,000 centrifuges. Around 14,000 centrifuges are currently installed there, roughly 11,000 of which are in operation, refining uranium to up to 5% purity.

Diplomats with knowledge of Natanz describe the FEP as being about three floors below ground. There has long been debate about how much damage Israeli airstrikes could do to it.

Damage has been done to centrifuges at the FEP by other means, including an explosion and power cut in April 2021 that Iran said was an attack by Israel.

The above-ground PFEP houses only a few hundred centrifuges, but Iran is enriching to up to 60% purity there.