Now that my prediction in my article of June 19,
2025
"Likely Targets of US B2 bombers: Tehran, Natanz & Fordow"
at https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2025/06/likely-targets-of-us-b2-bombers-tehran.html
has become fact, on June 22, 2025.
Targets under Tehran have not been hit - yet - by US aircraft. Although Israeli aircraft have been hitting targets in Tehran for several days.
While the focus of Israeli and now US bombing may be Uranium enrichment and highly enriched uranium (HEU) storage, Plutonium also presents an explosive threat used in nuclear weapons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium#Nuclear_fission
Nuclear reactor and Plutonium reprocessing sites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reprocessing around Iran may now be on Israeli and US target lists.
The danger of the Israeli and US air forces
bombing Plutonium production reactors in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran, is the
radioactive dust clouds that will rain down on Tehran and on the broader
MidEast region. A similar ruptured reactor, radioactive dust, dispersal
tragedy, occurred in the European region during and after the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_facilities_in_Iran#Tehran_Nuclear_Research_Center :
"Tehran Nuclear Research Center
The Tehran Nuclear Research Center (TNRC) brings together a number of Iranian nuclear research facilities, including...plutonium separation[109][110] and purification,[108][111] uranium conversion,[112] laser enrichment, and polonium production.[113]
These activities, many of which have
direct applications in nuclear weapons development, have drawn international
scrutiny, particularly due to Iran’s failure to disclose them fully to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).[112] The
presence of advanced research infrastructure within the TNRC has further raised
concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions, as the facility’s capabilities extend
beyond civilian applications and into sensitive areas relevant to weapons
proliferation.[108]
Tehran Research Reactor
The Tehran Research Reactor
(TRR)...was primarily designated for medical isotope production, its
capability to operate with highly enriched uranium (HEU) raised concerns about
its possible military applications.[114] The
facility’s ability to produce materials relevant to nuclear weapons development
made it a subject of international scrutiny and regulatory measures within the
framework of the nuclear agreement.[114]
The reactor was supplied by the United States under the Atoms for Peace program...
After the Iranian Revolution, the United States cut off
the supply of highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel for the TRR, which forced the
reactor to be shut down for a number of years.[118][119] Due
to the nuclear proliferation concerns caused by the use of HEUs and following
Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Programs, Iran signed
agreements with Argentina's National Atomic Energy Commission to
convert the TRR from highly enriched uranium fuel to low-enriched uranium, and to supply the
low-enriched uranium to Iran in 1987–88. TRR core was converted to use Low
Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuels in 1993.[120]
On the other hand, during the same
time period, between 1988 and 1993, Iran conducted undeclared experiments in
uranium reprocessing at the TRR, and between 1991-1993 separated approximately
100 milligrams of plutonium, an amount 500 times higher than the 200 micrograms
which it declared.[112] Additionally,
Iran attempted to extract the Polonium-210 isotope by irradiating two bismuth
targets, which together with beryllium serves as a neutron initiator in a
number of nuclear weapon designs.[121][108] Although
Iran stated that these actions were experiments for the feasibility of
radioisotope thermoelectric generator production, the IAEA expressed doubt
regarding Iran's declared intentions.[121][108]
Fuel elements of TRR are now plate-type U3O8-Al with approximately 20% enrichment.[122] In February 2012, Iran loaded the first domestically produced fuel element into the Tehran Research Reactor.[123]...." Ends
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