FIRST ON FOX: A covert agency within Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which is responsible for the development of Iran’s nuclear program, has been identified as operating from key sites utilized by Iran’s space program.
Iran has concealed aspects of its nuclear development initiatives under the pretense of commercial activities, and there are suspicions that its space program is being leveraged to develop technologies applicable to its nuclear weapons agenda.
According to information obtained by Fox News Digital from sources embedded in the Iranian regime, evidence gathered over several months indicates that Iran’s primary nuclear development body, the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, is functioning from two locations previously recognized as space development and launch sites.
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The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported, “These reports, compiled from numerous sources and thoroughly validated, suggest that recently, SPND has escalated its efforts to construct nuclear warheads at both the Shahrud and Semnan sites.”
This information was provided by individuals associated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which was then relayed to the NCRI, an Iranian opposition organization operating out of Washington, D.C., and Paris. Alireza Jafarzadeh, the NCRI’s deputy director in Washington, D.C., was the first to expose Iran’s covert nuclear program to the world in 2002.
One of the sites, the Shahroud Space Center, suspected of being utilized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to develop intermediate-range ballistic missiles, is now reported to have “large-scale” SPND personnel operating within it – a development that Jafarzadeh termed a “significant red flag.”
The Shahroud Space Center gained global attention in 2022 when Iran announced the development of the Ghaem-100 rocket, which is capable of launching low-orbit satellites, but can also serve as a ballistic missile with a range of nearly 1,400 miles, surpassing the previous capabilities of the Qased rocket.
However, sources familiar with the operations at the Shahroud Space Center indicate that “SPND’s experts are working on a nuclear warhead for the Ghaem100 solid-fuel missile with a range exceeding 3,000 kilometers [over 1,800 miles] and a mobile launch pad.”
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This site is heavily secured, and personnel must refrain from driving onto the complex. Instead, they park at a checkpoint at the entrance before being transported inside by the IRGC.
The NCRI report stated, “The Ghaem-100 missile, equipped with a mobile launchpad that boosts its military capability, was produced by the IRGC Aerospace Force and is modeled after North Korean missiles. The Ghaem missile was intentionally designed from the outset to carry a nuclear warhead. The IRGC Brigadier General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, known as the father of the IRGC’s missile program, personally oversaw this project.”
It remains uncertain what level of nuclear payload the Ghaem-100 missile could potentially carry at the range of 1,800 miles, although this falls short of the approximately 3,400 miles required to be classified as an intercontinental missile.
The second site, located in the northern city of Semnan, the Imam Khomeini Spaceport – Iran’s first spaceport – made international headlines last month when Tehran successfully launched its heaviest-ever rocket into space, carrying a payload of about 660 pounds and utilizing a liquid propellant.
The NCRI report highlights that Iran is utilizing this technology to develop liquid-fuel propellants, such as the Simorgh rocket, which has a range exceeding 1,800 miles and is designed for launching heavier satellites into space but also has the capacity to carry nuclear warheads.
Liquid fuel provides missiles with enhanced propulsive thrust, power, and control, despite being heavier than solid fuel and requiring more intricate technology.
Jafarzadeh informed Fox News Digital, “The establishment of a Space Command within the IRGC’s Aerospace Force has effectively masked the development of nuclear warheads under the guise of satellite launches while simultaneously granting the regime the necessary independent communications for directing nuclear warheads.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency recently issued a warning stating that Iran has developed approximately 440 pounds of near-weapons grade uranium enriched to the 60% purity threshold – which is still short of the 90% purity levels required to create a nuclear bomb.
Although only about 92 pounds of weapons-grade uranium is reportedly necessary to produce one nuclear bomb, this implies that Iran, if it continues to enrich its uranium, could amass enough material for five nuclear bombs.
Nevertheless, Jafarzadeh cautioned that the international community must closely monitor Iran’s actions beyond mere uranium enrichment. He stated, “It is naïve to solely focus on calculating the quantity or purity of enriched uranium without addressing the construction of the nuclear bomb or its delivery system. All these elements are crucial in equipping Iran’s mullahs with an atomic bomb.”
