A central target of the new attack on Iran is its nuclear facilities. But what exactly is known about Iran’s nuclear program and why are the USA and Israel so interested in eliminating it?
Feb 28, 2026, 1:24 p.mFeb 28, 2026, 1:24 p.m
Many fuses were burning in the conflict between the USA and Iran. One is the mullahs’ regime’s nuclear program, its half-hidden pursuit of the atomic bomb. While the US government maintains its threats of attack, Iran reiterates its claim to uranium enrichment.
“They don’t want to say the crucial words: ‘We won’t have nuclear weapons,'” Trump said on Friday (local time) before an event in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trump emphasized that he was therefore not satisfied with the status quo of the negotiations. This was more than just a subtle threat. It was almost the announcement of a blow.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Bussaidi presented it differently on the US broadcaster CBS News. Accordingly, there is an agreement that Iran will never have nuclear material to build an atomic bomb. His last attempt at appeasement went unheard.
Israel and the USA had already attacked the nuclear facilities last summer. What is known about each site relevant to Iran’s nuclear program?
An overview of known locations and their functions.
Nathan
The center of Iranian uranium enrichment is located here. In Natans, the element is processed so that it can be used either civilly as fuel for nuclear power plants (nuclear power plants) or militarily for nuclear weapons. To protect against air raids, the facility is located in underground bunkers. During the Twelve Day War last summer, Israel and the USA attacked the nuclear facility.
Natans nuclear facility (archive image): Uranium is enriched at this site in Iran.Image: IMAGO/Xinhua
Isfahan
The center of Iranian nuclear research is said to be located in the university city. Among other things, uranium is processed there so that it can then be enriched. There are also three smaller reactors from China at the site that are used to produce fuel rods. The nuclear center was not affected by the Israeli attacks, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Qom
There is another facility for enriching uranium in the town. For security reasons, it is located in a mountain, which is intended to make destruction by air strikes more difficult.
Bushehr
There is a nuclear power plant not far from the Iranian city and on the Persian Gulf coast. Officially it is used to produce electricity and is not used for military purposes. The nuclear power plant was not attacked by Israel.
Tehran
There is another research reactor in the Iranian capital. Officially it is only used for civilian purposes, such as medical research.
Parchin
The location was another target of the attacks. There is a military test site southeast of the capital Tehran. Officially, only conventional weapons should be used there. However, there have been doubts about this in the past. At least that is what several visits by the IAEA to Parchin suggest. There have been several explosions here in the past few weeks. What exactly detonated and why is still unclear today.
Arak
There were attacks here too. There is a heavy water plant in the town that is used to produce plutonium. However, as part of the nuclear agreement, the reactor was modified: Since then, it will no longer be possible to produce weapons-grade radioactive material in Arak.
Satellite image of Arak (archive image): Plutonium is to be processed in the plant.Image: keystone
Karaj
There is another research center for nuclear technology in the town. Officially the facility serves civilian purposes. Centrifuges that are necessary for uranium enrichment will also be produced at the site.
Saghand
In the center of the country is one of the few known uranium mines where the country can mine the raw material that is essential for the entire nuclear program.
Gachin
The first enriched material, which Iran is said to have produced entirely from its own hands, came from the uranium mine in 2010.
Ramsar
The town on the Caspian Sea houses a reactor that will be used for research purposes. The place is also special because it has an unusually high natural height radioactivity has. However, this is not due to the reactor, but rather to radium and radon radiation that is brought to the surface by hot springs made of uranium-containing rock.
Bonab
Another reactor is in operation in the northwest of the country. However, it is officially only used for research purposes and is not used for energy production or for military purposes.
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(hkl)