Report: Israeli strike on Iran military site destroyed equipment needed for Iran to develop nuclear weapon

The Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear research facility in Parchin destroyed sophisticated equipment that will make it much harder for Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon if it chooses to do so, two Israeli officials tell the Axios news site.

Axios revealed the strike earlier today, though, it has not been confirmed by either side.

“This equipment is a bottleneck. Without it the Iranians are stuck,” a senior Israeli official tells Axios.

“This is equipment the Iranians would need in the future if they want to make progress towards a nuclear bomb. Now they don’t have it anymore and it is not trivial. They will need to find another solution and we will see it,” the official adds.

Iran “conducted scientific activity that could lay the ground for the production of a nuclear weapon. It was a top secret thing. A small part of the Iranian government knew about this, but most of the Iranian government didn’t,” a US official tells Axios.

“The strike was a not so subtle message that the Israelis have significant insight into the Iranian system even when it comes to things that were kept top secret and known to a very small group of people in the Iranian government,” a US official says.