Iran’s Fordow facility poses major challenge to Israeli airstrikes: FT

The Financial Times has called Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility “Israel’s worst nightmare” due to its powerful defenses and hidden location.

This underground site is built deep inside a mountain, about half a kilometer beneath the surface near the city of Qom. Because of this, even with US help, it would be extremely difficult to destroy.

Fordow is not just protected by its location — it also has advanced air defense systems and heavy security. According to experts, this shows how Iran has carefully planned to keep its nuclear work safe from any foreign attacks.

The facility was built to survive direct hits and to protect important elements like centrifuges and highly enriched uranium, both of which are key for “nuclear weapons manufacturing.”

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a researcher on Iran, told the Financial Times that “Fordow is the be-all and end-all of Iran’s nuclear operation.” He believes it plays the most central role in the country’s nuclear work.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert based in Tel Aviv, said that “Israel” cannot destroy Fordow without help from the United States. He called it “the most difficult and perhaps the last target” in any military operation, and noted that Iran still has strong nuclear capabilities.

Bomb-Proof Protection

Fordow is even more secure than Iran’s other well-known site, Natanz. Natanz lies just 20 meters underground, but Fordow is hidden deep within a mountain, making it nearly bomb-proof.

The Financial Times even suggested it “may even be immune to the American GBU-57 bunker-buster,” a bomb meant to break through 60 meters of concrete.

The Iranian Students’ News Agency said there was a recent attack on Fordow, but only small damage was reported.

Interestingly, Fordow was built in secret and wasn’t made public until 2009, when US, UK, and French officials revealed intelligence that showed Iran had hidden the site. They said this kind of secrecy was “inconsistent with a peaceful program.”

In short, Fordow remains one of the most secure and controversial nuclear sites in the world, built with one goal: to protect Iran’s nuclear plans at all costs.

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