Mystery of Iran's new uranium enrichment facility

In the wake of Israeli and US attacks on Iran, Tehran officials have revealed a new uranium enrichment facility. The location of the facility remains unclear.

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities had been “totally destroyed” after US airstrikes on June 21 (US time). However, this month, Tehran announced that it had taken possession of a new uranium enrichment facility in a “secure and impregnable location” where centrifuge installations would soon begin.

The announcement was made by Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, on June 12, after the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a resolution criticizing Iran for failing to fulfill its transparency obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Satellite image of tunnel entrance at Iran's Fordow facility on June 22, 2025, after a US airstrike. Source: Maxar Technologies/Reuters

“The new facility is fully constructed and is located in a secure, impregnable location. As soon as the centrifuge installation and calibration are completed, the uranium enrichment process will begin,” Eslami said.

The announcement came as a surprise and there has been no independent confirmation so far, nor has there been any official information about the specific location of the new facility. Western intelligence agencies have not yet assessed the authenticity of the announcement. The IAEA has also not publicly responded.

According to Iranian officials, the new site has been under construction for several years, but the country has not allowed the IAEA access.

“They told us: ‘It is none of your business,’” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told reporters in April.

The new facility, believed to be Iran’s third enrichment facility, is likely to be underground, like the Fordow and Natanz sites that were attacked. However, it is unclear whether centrifuges have been installed there, nor whether the actual level of readiness of the facility matches Eslami’s claim.

Expert David Albright, of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said the new facility could be located south of Natanz, below Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La mountain, a peak nearly 1,600m above sea level and about 800m higher than the mountain where the Fordow facility is located.

According to Mr. Albright, the site appears to be designed to accommodate large-scale centrifuges. If operated with the most modern machines, Iran could produce enough highly enriched uranium to build 19 nuclear warheads in just three months.

Also in response to the IAEA reprimand, Iran announced that it would replace older centrifuges at Fordow with more modern ones. However, it is unclear whether Tehran had done so before the facilities were bombed.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/bi-an-ve-co-so-lam-giau-uranium-moi-cua-iran-post1549796.html