According to confidential reports and analysis from nuclear experts cited by The Washington Post, Iran is undertaking a substantial expansion at its heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility. This development could potentially triple Fordow's capacity to produce enriched uranium, providing Tehran with the means to rapidly assemble nuclear weapons if its leadership decides to pursue that path.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors have verified new construction activities at the Fordow enrichment plant, just days after Iran formally notified the nuclear watchdog about plans to significantly upgrade the underground site located in a mountainous region of north-central Iran.
The Post's reporting, based on a technical evaluation, indicates that the expansion at Fordow alone could enable Iran to stockpile enough nuclear fuel for several bombs every month. While smaller than Iran's main enrichment facility near Natanz, Fordow's underground location makes it virtually impervious to airstrikes, heightening its strategic significance.
"Iran would gain the capability for a rapid breakout at this deeply buried site, an ability it has not possessed before," David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington-based non-profit, told The Post.
Iran has also disclosed intentions to boost production at its primary enrichment plant near the city of Natanz. These moves are poised to exacerbate tensions with Western nations and fuel concerns that Tehran is swiftly positioning itself as a nuclear threshold state, capable of producing nuclear weapons on short notice if its rulers give the order.
"Iran aims to keep expanding its nuclear program in ways that lack any credible peaceful justification," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated. "These planned actions further undermine Iran's claims to the contrary. If Iran proceeds with these plans, we will respond accordingly."
According to US intelligence officials, Iran already possesses around 300 pounds of highly enriched uranium that could potentially be further processed into weapons-grade fuel for nuclear bombs within weeks or even days. While Iran maintains it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons, leaders of its nuclear energy program have begun publicly asserting that their scientists now command all the necessary components and expertise to build nuclear bombs swiftly if instructed to do so.
The expansion blueprint calls for installing nearly 1,400 new centrifuges, machines used for uranium enrichment, at Fordow within four weeks, according to two European diplomats with knowledge of the confidential IAEA reports. This new equipment, Iranian-made and interconnected in eight cascades, would significantly outperform the machines currently deployed.
"It is entirely credible," Albright told The Post, referring to Iran's expansion plans. "We have no insight into their centrifuge activities. We'll only fully grasp their capability after they've installed these machines."
Although the 2015 nuclear deal technically remains in force, Iran has systematically violated its key provisions since the Trump administration withdrew from the agreement in 2018. According to Robert Litwak, a senior vice president at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Tehran's efforts to portray itself as a nuclear threshold power provide Iran with a degree of strategic ambiguity that serves its interests.
