Iran’s ex-atomic chief says nuclear targets dispersed across country

Iran’s nuclear facilities, research, and production are widely dispersed across the country, Tehran’s former atomic chief said Thursday, responding to US threats of military strikes if no new agreement is reached.

Fereydoun Abbasi, highlighting the history of Iran’s nuclear program, emphasized that “Nuclear knowledge in our country is distributed across both the educational and research sectors; it is not confined to the Atomic Energy Organization [AEO] or limited to specific facilities and sites associated with it. We are active in nuclear education and research nationwide.”

Abbasi is considered a political hardliner and was the head of AEO during populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prior to 2013.

He dismissed President Donald Trump’s threats of strikes on Iran as “bluffing” and called his other statements about Greenland and Canada as “America’s excessive appetite.”

He noted that since mid-1970s, when the Atomic Center of the University of Tehran was transformed into the Atomic Energy Organization, “nuclear work in our country began to take an organized form, and its management came to be regarded as part of the country’s senior leadership. In other words, it moved beyond being merely an academic endeavor.”

He emphasized that AEO is at the level of a government department and its director is considered a presidential deputy. But he portrayed Iran’s nuclear activities as partly decentralized. “Nuclear knowledge in our country is distributed across both education and research sectors; it is not limited to the Atomic Energy Organization or confined to specific sites and facilities associated with it. We carry out nuclear education and research activities nationwide.”

At the same time Abbasi stressed that Iran is fully cooperation with UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is subject to detailed inspections.

However, since 2021, Tehran has significantly restricted the international watchdog’s access to its sensitive uranium enrichment sites, while producing 60% enriched fissile material—far beyond what is needed for civilian purposes.

Abbasi noted that in case of a US attack, protecting nuclear sites will be vital and Iran should have strong air defenses. He said that the adversary is well aware of Iran’s capabilities, implying that Iran has strong air defenses. However, in October, Israel carried out air strikes on a series of Iranian targets including its Russian-made S-300 anti-air missile batteries. According to both Israeli and various media reports, most of the air defense network was destroyed in the attack.