Iran’s Secretive Nuclear Facility Fordow: An Underground Fortress and a Potential Flashpoint in the Middle East War
By Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada
Iran and its nuclear activities have always been a matter of concern for the world, especially for countries that seek to maintain the balance of power in the Middle East in their favor such as the United States, Israel, and the Gulf states. But today, all eyes are focused on one particular location: a nuclear facility hidden deep within the mountains of Iran Fordow.
Concealed in the southern hills of Tehran, this site has become the epicenter of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the focal point of Israel and America’s anxiety. The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant once a closely guarded secret, later exposed, and now in the crosshairs of the world’s deadliest weaponry is located roughly 60 miles south of Tehran near the city of Qom. It is buried so deep that defense analysts say it lies even lower than the Channel Tunnel connecting France and Britain. Reaching it, let alone destroying it, is a formidable challenge even for the most advanced military technologies in the world.
If we trace the history of Fordow, it was originally a military base under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In 2009, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the site had been repurposed as a nuclear facility. However, by that time, Western intelligence had already uncovered the secret. The facility was in the process of being outfitted with 3,000 centrifuges.
Located approximately 96 kilometers south of Iran’s capital Tehran, near the city of Qom, Fordow is situated in such depth that analysts say it lies even deeper than the Channel Tunnel. The site is primarily used to enrich uranium—a process that can be used both for generating nuclear energy and for making atomic weapons.
To understand Iran’s nuclear aspirations, one must look back to the 1950s, when Iran, under a monarchy, entered the field of nuclear energy with American support. The U.S. was a close ally of Iran at the time. However, following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, a religious government led by Ayatollah Khomeini came to power, strongly opposed to the United States. Since then, Iran’s nuclear activities have been viewed with suspicion. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes—power generation and medical research—while the United States, Israel, and Western countries suspect that Iran is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons.
Fordow was initially a military installation used by the Revolutionary Guard. When Western intelligence discovered nuclear activity at the site in 2009, Iran was forced to inform the IAEA. The facility can house approximately 3,000 centrifuges—machines used to enrich uranium. If enrichment reaches 90%, the uranium becomes weapons-grade.
Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to halt uranium enrichment at Fordow. However, after President Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, Iran resumed its enrichment activities, defying the agreement. In 2023, the IAEA conducted a surprise inspection and found uranium particles enriched to 83.7%, dangerously close to the 90% threshold. Iran dismissed this as a “misunderstanding” or a “conspiracy,” but the international community saw it as a serious escalation.
Israel has long claimed that an Iranian atomic bomb would pose an existential threat to its survival. In response, Israel has in the past targeted Iranian scientists and launched attacks on nuclear facilities such as Natanz. Although Israel reportedly inflicted significant damage on the Natanz facility, Fordow remains intact. The reason lies in its depth Fordow is located 80 to 90 meters underground, whereas Israel’s bombs can only effectively penetrate up to 10 meters. Fordow presents a different kind of challenge it is buried so deep that Israel lacks the weapons capable of reaching it. For Israel to destroy Fordow, it would require a commando mission to infiltrate the facility and plant explosives from within a highly dangerous and complex operation.
Only the United States possesses a weapon capable of striking Fordow the “GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator,” which weighs 13,600 kilograms and can penetrate 61 meters of earth or 18 meters of reinforced concrete. Experts believe that multiple strikes would be required to destroy the facility, a task only the United States could realistically undertake, and only if it uses B-2 stealth bombers based at Diego Garcia.
Recently, President Donald Trump stated that his “patience has run out” and that he would soon decide whether or not to strike Iran. In the meantime, over 30 American fighter jets have been relocated to Europe, including aerial refueling tankers—clear signs of pre-planning. President Trump made a cryptic remark about the situation: “I could do it, and maybe I won’t.” He further said, “I don’t want war, but if your choice is between going to war or letting Iran build a bomb, then you have to do what must be done.”
Iran, for its part, remains under a rigid theocratic regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Under President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran has leaned further toward Russia and China, and the JCPOA is now entirely defunct. Though the Iranian economy is struggling, the government remains resolute in its rhetoric: “We will not bow, no matter what.”
Fordow is no longer just a nuclear site it has become a symbol: of Iran’s sovereignty, of Israel’s fear, and of America’s unease. The facility is not merely a technical issue but a focal point of diplomatic, military, and ideological conflict. If this crisis escalates, it may not only engulf the Middle East but also pull the entire world into another devastating war.
Yet critical questions remain unanswered. Does Iran truly want to build a bomb? Will the United States and Israel launch an attack on Fordow? Is the Middle East on the brink of another war?
These are the questions whose answers the world will discover in the days to come or perhaps, history will repeat itself once more.
(Note: This article is intended for readers who are neither military analysts nor scientists, but ordinary individuals seeking to understand what Fordow is, why it matters, and why the world is so deeply anxious about it.)
