In the midst of growing tensions between the two nations, Israel has escalated its campaign against Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure by carrying out a second round of airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear plant in Isfahan.
Following earlier attacks on June 13 that had already damaged uranium conversion infrastructure, laboratories, and a centrifuge production facility within the compound, Israeli military officials said the most recent strikes targeted two centrifuge production sites at the Isfahan complex overnight.
According to Israeli authorities, these frequent attacks have “dealt a severe blow to Iran’s centrifuge production capabilities,” which are essential for uranium enrichment that may be utilized for both civilian electricity and, at higher levels, the construction of nuclear weapons.
With a uranium conversion facility, a nuclear fuel manufacturing plant, and, since 2022, plans for a new research reactor, Isfahan serves as a key hub for Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has openly minimized the damage caused by the Israeli strikes, claiming that there was “no extensive” impact and no chance of radiation leaking.
But according to Israeli sources, the assaults have seriously hindered Iran’s capacity to manufacture centrifuges, which are necessary for nuclear enrichment.
The airstrikes on Isfahan are a component of a larger Israeli effort that has recently included attacks on other centrifuge production facilities as well as Iran’s underground nuclear facilities at Natanz and Fordo. Alongside these operations, Israel has targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military officers, missile launchers, and drone infrastructure, claiming to have killed multiple top commanders.
Iran fired five ballistic missiles at central Israel in retaliation for the Israeli strikes, but Israeli air defenses stopped them all. In central Israel, a residential building’s roof caught fire due to debris from one intercepted missile, but no one was hurt.
With both sides warning of a protracted battle and regional entities voicing worry about the possibility of further destabilization, the latest exchanges represent a dramatic escalation in the long-running shadow war between Israel and Iran.
With military and diplomatic fallout resonating throughout the region, the recent Israeli strikes on Isfahan highlight a dramatic increase in efforts to weaken Iran’s nuclear program.
