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Natanz Nuclear Facility
Natanz Nuclear Facility or Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facilities is one of the nuclear facilities in Iran, which was built near Natanz for uranium enrichment. This center is part of Iran's nuclear program.[1] The underground enrichment facility of this center is protected by a concrete shield with a thickness of approximately 7.6 meters.[2] According to the announcement of the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the centrifuge devices in this center built under the ground,[3] at a depth of 40 to 50 meters of the earth. This construction design is chosen for "safety of the people"[4] and also for being safe from "possible air attack".[5][6] The existence of this nuclear center was first exposed in 2002 by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran.[7] From 2006 to 2021, this facility has been the target of 5 massive destructive attacks by the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[8] NamingOn February 15, 2012, simultaneously with the exploitation of nuclear achievements, with the presence of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then president of Iran, the names of 5 nuclear centers and departments of Iran were changed to the names of the five assassinated people. Natanz Nuclear Facility name was also changed to "Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facility" in memory of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan who was assassinated on January 11, 2012.[9] Before that, the name of this nuclear facility was the same as the nearby city, Natanz. Of course, it is still known internationally with the name "Natanz Nuclear Facility".[10] Stuxnet virus and assassination of people related to Natanz Nuclear FacilityOn January 16, 2011, the New York Times newspaper claimed in an investigative article that Israel and the United States have never officially confirmed that they were involved in the spread of the Stuxnet virus.[11] On January 11, 2012, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, the "Deputy Commercial Officer" of Natanz Nuclear Facility, was assassinated and killed by a bomb explosion in Seyed Khandan area of Tehran.[12] VandalismsAccording to Fereydoon Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, these facilities have been subjected to vandalism attacks since 2006, and in 5 cases, the attacks were widespread. These acts of vandalism include placing explosives in the air sensors of the centrifuges to deliberately cause power outages. Some of these attacks have been deliberately carried out on special occasions in the Iranian calendar, such as Quds Day and the Mid-Sha'ban ceremony.[8] Expansion of facilitiesAccording to the Washington Post, satellite images show that construction is underway at the Natanz Nuclear Facility. Also, the International Atomic Energy Agency has announced that Iran is building an advanced centrifuge assembly plant in the underground of Natanz Nuclear Facility.[13][14] See also
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