NatSec Matters The State of Iran's Nuclear Program: David Albright
Sep 17, 2025
David Albright, the President and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, shares his expertise on Iran's nuclear program. He discusses the extensive damage from recent US and Israeli strikes to key facilities like Esfahan and Natanz. Albright delves into the uncertainty surrounding missing enriched uranium and the challenges faced by international monitors. He also highlights the implications of targeted killings on Iran's nuclear ambitions and the risks associated with unknown weaponization sites.
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Systematic Destruction Of Sensitive Program
- Israel had deep, specific knowledge of Iran's sensitive nuclear program and personnel.
- Satellite imagery shows systematic destruction across key facilities and networks.
Three Distinct Nuclear Hubs
- Natanz was the workhorse enrichment site while Fordow served as a parallel, more hardened enrichment plant.
- Esfahan hosted conversion, uranium metal work, and a secret tunnel enrichment complex.
Ventilation Shafts As Vulnerabilities
- Attacks appear to have exploited ventilation shafts to transmit blast effects into underground halls.
- Multiple bunker-buster strikes probably caused extensive shockwave damage inside buried plants.