Three-quarters of Natanz centrifuge assembly hall destroyed – nuke experts

Nearly three quarters of Iran’s main centrifuge assembly hall was destroyed by the recent explosion there, Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) President David Albright has told The Jerusalem Post.

Albright said that this latest revelation is based on two new satellite overviews showing a much fuller picture than footage that was released last weekend and indicates that the vast majority of the centrifuge assembly hall was wiped out.

This could mean there would be increased delay to Iran’s nuclear program, since it will have to recover from the incident.

“It is clear that a major explosion took place, destroying nearly three quarters of the main centrifuge assembly hall, generating a fire that blackened a major portion of the building, the blackening visible where the roof had been blown away by the explosion,” Albright said.

According to the latest report by the think tank, “High-resolution commercial satellite imagery…shows that the Iran Centrifuge Assembly Center (ICAC) at the Natanz Enrichment Site has suffered significant, extensive, and likely irreparable, damage to its main assembly hall section.”

Further, the report says, “This new facility, inaugurated in 2018, was critical to the mass production of advanced centrifuges, in particular the assembly of rotor assemblies, the rapidly spinning part of the centrifuge and its most crucial component. ”

In terms of rolling back Tehran’s future nuclear program plans, the report adds, “An annex to the building was intended to assemble electrical components of centrifuges, including motors, another important component of centrifuges.”

Alrbight said that his institute’s findings are confirmed by Iran’s shifting story.

“While early reporting from Iran suggested that a fire was ‘limited’ and restricted to a ‘shed under construction,”’ he said, “more recent Iranian admissions are stating that the damage was ‘significant.'”