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MOST of Iran’s nuclear facilities are vulnerable to devastating drone attacks

Iran Fukushima warning: Iran’s nuclear plants could be WIPED OUT  https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1558057/Iran-news-nuclear-threat-war-latest

MOST of Iran’s nuclear facilities are vulnerable to devastating drone attacks, a report has found.

By MARCO GIANNANGELI – DIPLOMATIC EDITOR11:00, Sun, Jan 30, 2022  But using unmanned vehicles (UMVs) laden with explosives could lead to a critical Fukushima-style reactor meltdown.

The revelation comes as diplomatic efforts to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue to flounder, with former Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi last night warning: “The Iran nuclear deal is already on life-support and it is very possible that it might falter altogether due to Iran’s shameless violations.”

Detailed analysis of its 22 nuclear facilities by Dr Bahram Ghiassee, of the Henry Jackson Society think-tank, found that all except the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, near Qom – built into a mountain – are vulnerable to drone strikes which could incapacitate them.

And burying the Fordow facility under 60 metres of rock does not protect it from attacks on air shafts and other external supply systems.

While many facilities would result in little overall impact if attacked, there are glaring exceptions, the report found.    These include the conversion plant at the Esfahan nuclear technology centre – a critical part of the nuclear fuel cycle – and the Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Persian Gulf.

The same applies to the Natanz enrichment facility now being rebuilt into a mountain after an explosion – believed to have been caused by Israel – destroyed the previous overland structure.

Though nuclear power plants are built to withstand light aerial attacks, Bushehr’s ancillary facilities “are highly vulnerable to aerial attacks, including drone strikes”, said the report, including by “commercially available as ‘Surface UMVs’ and ‘Submersible UMVs’, with an operating range of some 120 kilometres. “

However, Dr Ghiassee, a nuclear consultant,  added: “A synchronised attack on the cooling water facilities, external electricity supply and electricity distribution systems could lead to the overheating of the reactor core and the spent fuel ponds. 

“Under such circumstances, as in the Fukushima nuclear accident, the reactor core could melt down.”

Attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities are not a new phenomenon.

The Bushehr power plant was attacked by Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, though this caused minor damage.

More recently, Iran has been the recipient of incapacitating explosions, cyber strikes and UMV attacks.

Though not confirmed by Tel Aviv, these are believed to have been carried out by Israel after it openly pledged never to allow Iran – which has threatened to blow Israel off the face of the world – to possess nuclear weapons.

We have a duty to be brave and responsible for the fate of our children and grandchildren. We have used force against our enemies in the past, and we are convinced that in extreme situations, there is a need to act using military means,” said Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Alon Schuster recently.

Actions have included the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, the explosion at Natanz in 2020 – said to have been caused by the provision of faulty materials following Mossad’s infiltration of the supply chain- and the cyber strike in 2010 using the Stuxnet virus, which reportedly infected more than 200,000 commuters and destroyed a fifth of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.

January 31, 2022 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, safety