Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant
- Location Qom, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Base
- Type Nuclear-Enrichment
- Facility Status Operational as nuclear, physics and technology center under IAEA safeguards
Country Spotlight
Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been a focus of international diplomacy for decades. Faced with accusations of nuclear weapons pursuits in violation of its NPT commitments, Iran concluded a 2015 agreement, the JCPOA, to restrict its nuclear program. However, the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the deal and subsequent Iranian violations cast doubt on the deal’s future. On June 13, 2025, Israel announced it was beginning preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and has since attacked elements of the Iranian nuclear and missile programs as well as their command and control. On June 21, 2025, the United States announced that it had conducted air strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. On June 23, 2025, Iran retaliated by striking US military bases in Iraq and Qatar, with other bases in the region on high alert.
Region Middle East and North Africa
182.3 kg Uranium enriched to 60% as of November 2024
6,604 kg Total stockpile of enriched uranium as of October 2024
2,000 km Self-imposed range limit on ballistic missiles
Collection of Iranian missile tests including the date, time, missile name, launch agency, facility name, and test outcome. (CNS)
Education Center
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), “Iran’s Nuclear Program: 1950s and 60s: Atoms for Peace,” isis-online.org.
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), “Iran’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle,” isisnucleariran.org.
U.S. Department of State, “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” https://2009-2017.state.gov.
U.S. Department of State, “Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments,” April 2023, www.state.gov.
International Atomic Energy Agency, Board of Governors, “NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” GOV/2023/58, November 15, 2023, www.iaea.org.
Stephanie Liechtenstein, “UN agency report says Iran has further increased it uranium stockpile,” Associated Press, November 15, 2023, www.apnews.com.
“Iran begins building 4 more nuclear power plants,” Associated Press, February 1, 2024, https://apnews.com.
Stephanie Liechtenstein, “Iran further increases its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, watchdog says,” Associated Press, May 27, 2024, https://apnews.com.
Sign up for regular updates on innovative, real-world solutions to existential threats.
{ location = 'https://www.nti.org/get-updates/' }, 300);">Get Updates