Published: June 13, 2025 3:38 PM IST 
Tehran: The Natanz nuclear plant in Iran and the recent developments around it have become a crucial issue in Middle East geopolitics and have made headlines across the world. In recent years, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have repeatedly targeted the site, which it considers the center of Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. Most of the time, Natanz has been compared with “Kirana Hills,” which is near the Sargodha Airbase in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Islamabad is believed to store its nuclear weapons at this site. Notably, the same site was also attacked by the Indian Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor. Let us understand the situation at Natanz, Israel’s attacks, and the comparison between Iran and Pakistan’s nuclear programs.
Natanz is an area located in Iran’s Isfahan province where its major nuclear plants are established. It is the center of the Middle East country’s uranium enrichment program. The facility is divided into two parts.
Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP): An underground facility with a capacity to house around 50,000 centrifuges. Currently, it houses around 14,000 centrifuges, of which 11,000 are active. These are enriching uranium with a purity of up to 5 percent.
Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP): This facility is located above the ground and has a few hundred centrifuges that enrich uranium up to 60percent purity, close to 90 percent purity which is needed for making a nuclear weapon.
Notably, there is no official place called “Kairana Hill” which is associated with Iran’s nuclear program. It is just a comparison to Pakistan’s nuclear weapon storage. It may refer to the geographical location the hills surrounding Natanz or its strategic location.
Natanz is located near the Zagros Mountains, and the underground structure is built to protect it from air strikes. A group of people compare the site to Pakistan’s Kahuta plant, called “Kairana Hill” in the 1980s, when Islamabad was developing its nuclear weapons.
It is worth noting that Israel has long considered Iran’s nuclear program a big threat to itself. The country believes that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, which it can use against it. That is the reason why Tel Aviv has targeted Natanz many times.
Cyber-attack 2010: Israel and the US created a cyber virus and termed it – “Stuxnet”. The virus damaged the centrifuges at Natanz. This attack set back Iran’s nuclear program by 18 months to two years.
Explosions in 2020: A mysterious fire that broke out in Natanz, which is termed by Iran as an attack by Israel. It damaged centrifuge production.
Blackout in 2021: Natanz’s power supply was targeted in another attack, which Iran termed as “nuclear terrorism”.
Attacks in 2024 and 2025: In April last year, Tel Aviv targeted air defence systems near Natanz. In June this year, IDF launched a direct attack on the site in what it describes as a “pre-emptive strike” to stop Iran’s nuclear program. This attack killed several senior officials.
The aim of these attacks is to weaken Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from making nuclear weapons.
Iran’s nuclear program is the primary source of conflict with Israel. Israel views Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an existential threat, while Iran maintains its program is for peaceful purposes and vows retaliation against any Israeli aggression. A significant Israeli attack on Natanz in 2025, resulting in casualties among Iranian officials, temporarily hampered Iran’s nuclear development. However, analysts suggest that Iran’s advanced technology and decentralised infrastructure make complete dismantlement of the program unlikely.
Natanz, a critical site for Iran’s nuclear activities, is strategically significant, as evidenced by its alternative name, “Kairana Hill.”While Israeli attacks have hampered Iran’s nuclear progress, they haven’t achieved complete cessation.
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