Fordo: Iran’s most secure nuclear site and why Isreal sees it as a threat

On Friday, June 13, when Israel sent over 100 drones that detonated bombs on most of Iran’s nuclear facilities, killing many of the country’s top military commanders, it was clear that the attack would provoke retaliation from Tehran. Not surprisingly, Iran launched a barrage of missiles towards Israel—an escalation that has pushed both nations closer to open war, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people on both sides.

But the question many have asked following the surprising hit in Iran is this: why did Israel choose this moment to attack Iran’s nuclear infrastructure when it is still deeply engaged in the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza—a group it has vowed to “entirely eliminate”?

The timing suggests that Israel views Iran’s nuclear advancement as an immediate threat that can no longer wait.

At the heart of this concern lies the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP)—Iran’s most guarded nuclear site, buried deep within a mountain near Qom. For years, the international community has wrestled with fears that Iran is inching closer to nuclear weapon capability. Tehran insists that its uranium enrichment is solely for peaceful purposes, such as medical and energy needs.

A Long Nuclear Story of Suspicion and Defiance

Iran’s nuclear journey has been riddled with suspicion and international tension. The existence of Fordo was only acknowledged by Iran in 2009, after Western intelligence had already detected the facility. This revelation sparked outrage. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama declared that the site had been under surveillance long before Iran’s confession.

Iran has repeatedly claimed that its nuclear activities comply with its obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), emphasizing peaceful intentions. But trust has eroded over time, especially following revelations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 2023 report that uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity—near weapons-grade level—were detected at Fordo. This level is uncomfortably close to the 90% enrichment necessary for nuclear weapons.

According to Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, Iran was very close to developing a nuclear weapon.

“It could be a year, or it could be a few months,” he said.

Fordo: The Mountain Fortress

The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is unlike any other Iranian nuclear site. Built inside a mountain near the city of Qom—30 kilometers away—the facility was specifically designed to withstand airstrikes. Its underground location shields it from conventional bombs and air assaults, making it one of the hardest military targets on Earth.

“The Iranians fully understood that the Israelis would try to get inside their programs and they built Fordo inside of a mountain a long time ago to take care of the post-Iraq problem,” The New York Times quoted Vali Nasr, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Fordo houses around 1,044 IR-1 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium hexafluoride, with recent developments suggesting that Iran is tripling its centrifuge capacity. The site has also reportedly installed four new cascades, though they remain uncommissioned. Military officials and analysts believe the site is nearly invulnerable to standard air attacks. “It remains a very difficult target,” remarked Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., former head of U.S. Central Command.

Iran’s decision to locate the facility so close to Qom—a city sacred to Shia Islam—raises further complications. Any attack risks provoking not just military retaliation, but a broader religious and political backlash across the Shiite world.

The Bomb Built to Break Fordo

Only one weapon in the world has a chance to breach Fordo’s formidable defenses: the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), developed and possessed solely by the United States. This so-called “bunker buster” bomb is designed to destroy deeply buried bunkers and fortified underground facilities.

At 20 feet long and weighing 30,000 pounds, the bomb’s steel casing allows it to penetrate layers of soil, rock, and concrete before detonating. It carries less explosive material than general-purpose bombs of its size but is uniquely engineered to stay intact through extreme impact.

In addition to the capacity of the bomb to destroy deep underground facilities like the Fordo, only America’s B-2 stealth bomber can carry and deliver this monstrous weapon. Israel, despite its advanced air force, lacks both the bomb and the aircraft to carry it.

Despite the close alliance, US appears reluctant to lend his bomb to Israel.

“We’ve had a policy for a long time of not providing those to the Israelis because we didn’t want them to use them,” Gen. Joseph Votel, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, said. This refusal is based on fears that giving Israel such a capability could spark a wider regional war.

However, US appears determined to lend help to Israel in other to ensure that Iran’s nuclear development does not continue. President Donald Trump, after he warmed everybody in Tehran to evacuate, vowing that Iran must not be allowed to own a nuclear weapon, he abruptly left the G7 meeting in Canada. White House claimed that his departure is connected “what is going on in the Middle East.”

Also Read: Trump Abruptly Departs G7 After Warning Everyone to Evacuate Iran’s Capital

Israel’s Other Options

Without access to the 30,000 pound bomb, Israel must consider alternative means to disrupt Fordo’s operations. These could include targeting auxiliary power and transmission facilities that keep Fordo running.

Special forces operations have also been contemplated. Israel once proposed to U.S. officials a plan involving commandos infiltrating Fordo to plant explosives—an echo of past covert strikes such as the destruction of a Syrian missile facility in 2024. Yet, as General McKenzie cautioned, “The physics of the problem remain the same.” Fordo’s depth and fortification make such missions extremely dangerous.

Israeli officials hint that they have “a number of contingencies” beyond airstrikes, as Ambassador Yechiel Leiter recently suggested: “Not everything is a matter of taking to the skies and bombing from afar.”

The Future of Fordo—and the Region

For now, Fordo stands as both a symbol of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the limits of military power. Despite Israel’s determined efforts and America’s unmatched bunker-busting capability, the facility remains intact beneath the mountain. Whether diplomatic pressure or clandestine sabotage will ultimately curb Iran’s nuclear program remains to be seen.

What is certain is that Fordo remains at the heart of one of the world’s most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints.