Iranian authorities have relocated surviving nuclear scientists to protected facilities following Israel's elimination of more than 30 researchers, with intelligence sources providing The Telegraph access to names of additional targets on an expanded list maintained by Israeli agencies.
Most researchers no longer reside in their residences or conduct lectures at academic institutions, having been transferred to secured compounds in Tehran or northern coastal areas where they occupy residences with family members, according to a senior Iranian official speaking to The Telegraph.
Intelligence sources have disclosed the identities of more than 15 surviving scientists from approximately 100 individuals tracked by Israeli agencies, who face a decision between continuing their research activities and risking additional strikes or pursuing alternative career paths.
"Most of them are no longer living in their houses – they are either moved to safe houses in Tehran or to the north," the Iranian official explained to The Telegraph. The official added that university personnel have been replaced with individuals having no connections to nuclear programs, stating: "Those who were teaching at universities are replaced with people who have no connection with the nuclear programme."
These protective measures follow concerns about planned assassinations and Tehran's execution of nuclear scientist Roozbeh Vadi, who worked at critical atomic facilities and was executed on Wednesday following allegations he provided information to Israel that facilitated colleague assassinations during June's conflict.
Israeli analysts characterize the replacement generation of Iranian nuclear researchers as targets awaiting elimination, describing them as "dead men walking" despite enhanced security, including protected facilities and continuous surveillance. Intelligence indicates Iran structured its atomic research with redundancy systems ensuring each essential personnel member maintains at least one deputy, operating in groups of two to three to provide continuity during attacks.
Israeli sources express concern that surviving researchers have assumed positions of their eliminated colleagues at Iran's nuclear weaponization initiative within the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, identified by its Persian designation SPND. These personnel reportedly possess specializations in explosive materials, neutron physics, and warhead engineering.
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that nuclear program knowledge remains embedded within Iran's educational and academic infrastructure, resulting in June strikes against Shahid Beheshti University and Imam Hossein University, both Tehran-based institutions connected to Iran's defense and atomic programs. Similar to Israel's atomic program, which utilized research from facilities including the Weizmann Institute of Science targeted by Iranian forces in June, Iran's nuclear initiative maintains broad academic foundations with dual-use applications.
Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iranian strategic desk within Israeli Defense Intelligence, indicated that surviving researchers face clear alternatives. "They saw what happened to their colleagues, and as we learned from 2010 when we eliminated the other scientists, it's not changing their way of thinking in terms of their willingness to support the regime," Citrinowicz told The Telegraph.
"Those who are left will be at the forefront of any Iranian attempt to reach a nuclear bomb, hence they will automatically become targets for Israel, as Israel has shown in the past. I have no doubt about it. Any scientist who deals with the nuclear issue will be eliminated or will be threatened with elimination," he stated.
Previously, individual Revolutionary Guard units managed the scientists' security, but multiple agencies now coordinate protection efforts due to trust concerns, the Iranian official explained to The Telegraph. "They were all asked if they still trust their bodyguards – some said no and were provided with new ones," he stated.
Seyed Alireza Sadighi Saber, the brother of an eliminated Iranian scientist, Mohammad Reza Sadighi Sabe, advocated for a revised nuclear doctrine to improve scientist protection. Seyed Alireza Sadighi Saber, speaking at funeral services for victims of Israel's June attacks, urged Iran's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and reconsideration of nuclear weapons prohibitions.
"If Iran had the will to build nuclear weapons, it would certainly have achieved it within two years, but because the peaceful path was chosen, the enemy began successive assassinations of scientists, commanders, and elites to stop scientific progress," he stated. "These individuals had no military activities and their scientific projects were completely under IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] supervision and within the framework of peaceful nuclear programmes," he explained.
He appealed to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials for urgent policy revisions protecting national scientists and researchers, declaring time had arrived to move beyond the rhetoric of "Death to America and Israel" and implement fundamental decisions.
Multiple prominent scientists and researchers specializing in nuclear physics and radiopharmaceuticals were eliminated in Israel's June 13 attacks. Amir Hossein Faghi represented one of Iran's leading figures in radiopharmaceutical development. Faghi directed research into medical applications of nuclear energy and appeared on state television in 2022 discussing radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. Colleagues compared his work to assassinated nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari, eliminated in 2010.
