Natanz nuclear plant, Uranium enrichment plant and military base in Natanz County, Iran
The Natanz uranium enrichment plant is a nuclear and military facility located in Natanz County, on a flat desert area south of Tehran. It consists of two main sections: a pilot plant at ground level used for testing centrifuges, and a far larger underground industrial facility built to withstand aerial attacks.
The Natanz site became known to the international community in the early 2000s through satellite images, though construction had begun earlier. After the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal known as the JCPOA in 2018, Iran ramped up its enrichment activities and raised the level of uranium it was producing.
In Iran, the Natanz site is rarely discussed openly, as access is tightly controlled and the subject is politically sensitive. For many Iranians, the nuclear program represents the country's right to technological self-sufficiency, even as other nations view it with suspicion.
The site is completely closed to the public and cannot be visited, as it is a military facility. Its activities are monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors have had access at various points in the past.
In 2025, Israeli strikes caused damage visible in satellite images of the site. The underground sections were deliberately built deep enough to resist even specially designed bunker-busting bombs, which makes them among the most hardened nuclear facilities ever constructed.
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