The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, once believed to be impervious to foreign attacks, has reportedly been “obliterated” following a direct US airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump. Located deep beneath the mountains near Qom, Iran, and guarded by anti-aircraft systems, Fordow had long been viewed as untouchable by Israeli airpower, until now.

The strike on June 22, 2025, marks a turning point in the Iran-Israel conflict and signals Washington’s direct entry into the fray. “Fordow is gone,” Trump declared on Truth Social, claiming that the facility, central to Iran’s uranium enrichment program, was successfully destroyed by a full payload of US bombs. This assault came days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed uranium enriched to 83.7 per cent U-235 at the site, just short of weapons-grade material.

What Is Fordow And Why Was It Targeted?

The Fordow facility, officially named the Shahid Ali Mohammadi Nuclear Facility, was built in secrecy starting in 2006 and only disclosed by Iran to the IAEA in 2009, after Western intelligence agencies had already uncovered its existence. Buried under 80 meters of rock and housed in a former Revolutionary Guard Corps base, the facility was designed to withstand heavy airstrikes. It became a symbol of Iran’s nuclear defiance and strategic depth.

Initially meant to enrich uranium to just 5 per cent, Fordow’s mission shifted over the years. Iran moved its 20% enrichment from Natanz to Fordow in 2011 and later produced uranium for medical and scientific purposes. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Fordow’s enrichment operations were to be paused and repurposed for research and medical isotope production. But the 2018 US withdrawal from the JCPOA and renewed sanctions led Iran to expand enrichment activities once again.

An ‘Imminent Threat’

By 2023, IAEA inspections revealed uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels at Fordow, raising alarms in Washington and Tel Aviv. Intelligence reports indicated rapid expansion of centrifuge cascades and increased enrichment activity. While Iran insisted its program was for peaceful purposes, US and Israeli officials feared that Tehran could swiftly develop a nuclear weapon if left unchecked.

Fordow's unique underground structure made it resistant to conventional airstrikes, prompting the US to consider deploying its most powerful non-nuclear weapon, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, also known as a "bunker buster." Trump reportedly demanded absolute assurance that the bomb could destroy Fordow before authorising the strike.

Now, with Fordow reportedly destroyed, the strategic landscape has shifted dramatically. Iran has vowed retaliation, while global leaders fear the strike could spark a broader conflict across the Middle East.