An agency within Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) has been discovered to be running Iran’s nuclear program from top sites used by the country’s space program. The Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPDN), Iran’s chief nuclear development agency, has been found operating at two locations previously known for space development and launch activities.
Reports indicate that SPDN has been intensifying efforts to construct nuclear warheads at the Shahrud and Semnan sites. The Shahroud Space Center, suspected of missile development, now reportedly houses SPND personnel working on a nuclear warhead for the Ghaem-100 missile with a range of over 1,800 miles. The site is under high security, with personnel transported inside by the IRGC.
The Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan, Iran’s first spaceport, has been in the spotlight for launching heavy rockets into space. Iran is using this technology to develop liquid-fuel propellants capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Liquid fuel provides greater thrust and control, though it requires more complex technologies.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned of Iran's near-weapons grade uranium stockpile, which could potentially be used to develop multiple nuclear bombs. While attention has been on uranium enrichment levels, experts caution that the focus should also be on the construction of nuclear bombs and their delivery systems to prevent Iran from acquiring atomic weapons.
Iran's activities at these sites raise concerns about the country's nuclear ambitions and the potential threat posed by the development of nuclear warheads disguised under the guise of space program advancements.
