by: Lior Ben Ari ~ Ynetnews
An Iranian nuclear site is reported to be producing Simorgh missiles inspired by North Korean designs (illustrative).
Monday, 3 February 2025 | Iran has allegedly been covertly developing nuclear weapons with a 1,800‑mile [2896.8 km.] range that could reach Europe using North Korean designs, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The Telegraph in Britain reported Sunday that details provided by the NCRI indicate that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is expanding its warhead program at two sites disguised as communication satellite launch facilities. The facilities, controlled by Iran’s nuclear weapons division—the Organisation for Advanced Defence Research (SPND)—are reportedly expediting missile production.
Soona Samsami, a US representative of the NCRI, told the Telegraph: “For over two decades, they have used negotiations and the West’s leniency as a means to advance their nuclear weapons program, threatening global peace and stability. Tehran has never been as weak and vulnerable as it is today. The desperate Iranian regime is thus speeding up the development of nuclear weapons. Now is the time to hold the regime accountable for internal killings, regional warmongering and nuclear weapons development.”
According to the report, the first warhead base is located about 22 miles [35.4 km.] from the Iranian city of Shahrud. Experts from the SPND and the IRGC Aerospace Force have been working on a nuclear missile integrated into a Ghaem-100 rocket, capable of traveling 1,800 miles [2896.8 km.]. This range would put targets in Europe—including Greece—and Israel within reach.
The Telegraph noted that three rocket launches have already been successfully carried out, with tests for the more advanced Ghaem-105 rocket slated for the coming months. Past tests were masked as satellite launches to obscure their true purpose.
Satellite imagery reportedly shows a concrete platform used in the experiments, with nearby buildings believed to support related research. Another site, about 43 miles [69.2 km.] southeast of the city of Semnan, is said to be producing Simorgh missiles inspired by North Korean designs, similar to the 18‑meter-tall UNHA‑1 [59 ft.] rocket. Much of the work at this site is conducted underground to evade intelligence surveillance, with six new constructions added since 2005.
To further conceal the work, the regime has named the facility the Imam Khomeini site, ostensibly an homage to its space governing body, while it is reportedly being used for warhead tests. Images distributed by the NCRI showed extensive ground excavation in the northeastern part of the base in 2019, with concrete foundations installed afterward, while older photos revealed the structure covered in dirt.
The NCRI claims that SPND experts have observed an increase in subterranean explosions linked to missile production. Although the press was once allowed on site—where IRGC soldiers in civilian clothing were seen—only a few photos were released, taken by regime workers.
Security at both facilities is stringent. Workers arrive in private vehicles from surrounding cities, including Tehran, and are taken by bus from a checkpoint several miles from the main site by IRGC personnel as an additional security measure.
Iran’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology and head of the Iranian Space Organization, Hassan Salaria, said last week that Tehran would unveil a number of Iranian satellites and noted that “by the end of the current Iranian year” two more important satellites would be launched (the Iranian year ends in March, according to the IRNA news agency). He said that Iran has so far launched 24 to 25 satellites into space of various categories. “Currently, we are designing and building satellites that can operate with an imaging accuracy of up to about two meters [6.5 ft.], and this process is gradual,” he explained.
The Iranian Space Agency on Sunday announced that during a ceremony marking National Space Technology Day, three satellites were unveiled: Nabouk 1, Fars 2, and an improved version of Fars 1.
At the same time, as part of the “Achievements of the Iranian Ministry of Defense” exhibition, and in the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Atmad ballistic missile, which has a range of 1,700 kilometers [1056.3 mi.], was unveiled on Sunday. The Iranian president said during the visit: “Our defense capabilities are so advanced that they do not allow any country to attack Iran.”
Posted on February 3, 2025
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