Latest news with #BehnamBenTaleblu
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
President Trump Pulls The Trigger On Iran
Ben examines President Trump's decision to pull the trigger on Iran's nuclear program and discusses the results of the NYC mayoral primary. Senior Director of FDD's Iran Program Behnam Ben Taleblu provides his analysis of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Then, FOX News Senior National Correspondent Aishah Hasnie joins to talk Pacers, party divisions on Capitol Hill, and Senate Majority Leader Thune's leadership under President Trump. Later, Ben shares more about the exciting announcement of his third child. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
'Wounded But Still There': What's The Iranian Regime's Next Move After US Strikes & Ceasefire Deal?
Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the FDD's Iran program, joined Brittany Lewis on "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss what's next for Iran after the United States bombed multiple of its nuclear facilities and it came to a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Watch the full interview above.
Newsweek
21-06-2025
- Newsweek
Satellite Images Show Underground Military Installations Around the World
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, buried beneath a mountain near the city of Qom, has become a focus of global military attention following the most recent Israeli airstrikes. It is one of the most heavily fortified military sites in the world, and its resilience highlights a broader pattern: nations around the world have built underground bases to shield key military infrastructure from attack. Fordow is dug half a mile underground, lined with reinforced concrete, and surrounded by air defenses. It was built to survive a direct air strike and keep functioning. "Fordow is the be-all and end-all of Iran's nuclear operation," Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Financial Times. The site could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for nine nuclear bombs in about three weeks, according to estimates by the Institute for Science and International Security. PlanetScope image of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant captured on June 14, 2025. PlanetScope image of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant captured on June 14, 2025. Planet Labs PBC Iran said the facility was attacked last week, though damage was limited. Most military analysts believe the site could only be heavily damaged or destroyed with an American-made bunker-buster bomb and the B-2 stealth fighter configured to drop it. And even then, it is far from a certainty. Danny Citrinowicz, an analyst at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, told Vijesti, "Without U.S. help, Fordow will be a big challenge. It's heavily fortified and deep in the mountain. I'm not sure how much damage we can do there." Fordow is one of many such facilities. Most major military powers have built underground bunkers—some dating back to the Cold War, others still active. While estimates suggest there could be over 10,000 of these sites worldwide, only a handful are widely known. U.S. Sites In the United States, Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania—also known as the "Underground Pentagon"—connects to Mount Weather in Virginia and Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. These sites are built to maintain government operations in a crisis. Satellite view of the Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania, known as the "Underground Pentagon." The facility includes multiple tunnel entrances and surface structures supporting one of the United States' primary Continuity of Government sites. Satellite view of the Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania, known as the "Underground Pentagon." The facility includes multiple tunnel entrances and surface structures supporting one of the United States' primary Continuity of Government sites. Google Earth Cheyenne Mountain houses NORAD operations and was built to withstand a 30-megaton nuclear blast. In North Dakota, Minot Air Force Base hosts a network of underground silos for nuclear missiles. Texas's West Fort Hood once stored nuclear weapons in tunnels carved into the hillside. During the Cold War, Project Iceworm in Greenland housed nuclear equipment in ice tunnels at Camp Century. At the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex headquarters for NORAD two military personnel wait to board a bus May 11, 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex headquarters for NORAD two military personnel wait to board a bus May 11, 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Getty Images Russia and China Russia's secretive underground transport system Metro-2 system, or D-6, is thought to link key command posts beneath Moscow to facilities such as Vnukovo-2 airport. Meanwhile, the mysterious Mount Yamantau in the southern Urals is believed to conceal a vast nuclear weapons storage or command facility. The Kremlin has never confirmed its purpose. Mount Yamantau, another secretive site in the Urals, is widely believed to be a command hub for nuclear operations. Mount Yamantau, another secretive site in the Urals, is widely believed to be a command hub for nuclear operations. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Generic China's Longpo Naval Base, located on Hainan Island, includes a sophisticated tunnel system that enables submarines to discreetly enter and exit from the South China Sea. The facility is believed to play a critical role in supporting China's second-strike nuclear capability. It features an underground complex designed to shield nuclear submarines from aerial surveillance and potential attack. The base includes six wharves—each approximately 755 feet long—capable of accommodating up to 12 submarines. Longpo is part of the larger Yulin Naval Base complex, which serves as a strategic hub for the People's Liberation Army Navy's South Sea Fleet. Satellite view of the Longpo Naval Base on China's Yalong Peninsula. Hidden beneath the dense forest, this strategic facility is believed to house underground tunnels connecting directly to the South China Sea, allowing nuclear submarines... Satellite view of the Longpo Naval Base on China's Yalong Peninsula. Hidden beneath the dense forest, this strategic facility is believed to house underground tunnels connecting directly to the South China Sea, allowing nuclear submarines to enter and exit covertly. More Google Earth Project 131 in Hubei was another Cold War-era command site, though it has since been decommissioned. North Korea North Korea has built extensive underground missile bases, including the Kumchang-ri facility discovered in 1989. While Pyongyang claimed it was a food storage site, U.S. intelligence suspected it was used for nuclear work. These bases are carved into mountains and designed to survive strikes. Satellite imagery of the Kumchang-ri underground facility in North Korea. Discovered in the late 1990s, the site was originally claimed to be agricultural, but U.S. intelligence identified it as a suspected nuclear-related complex hidden beneath... Satellite imagery of the Kumchang-ri underground facility in North Korea. Discovered in the late 1990s, the site was originally claimed to be agricultural, but U.S. intelligence identified it as a suspected nuclear-related complex hidden beneath mountainous terrain. Its exact purpose remains classified. More Google Earth Iran's Expansion Fordow is not Iran's only secure site. Tehran is believed to be is building an even more protected facility at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La—also known as Pickaxe Mountain—south of Natanz. This site is planned to be even deeper underground, with at least four tunnel entrances and larger internal space. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been allowed to inspect it. Fordow was built in secret and revealed publicly in 2009 when U.S., British and French officials declassified intelligence on its existence. The disclosure led to increased sanctions and was central to the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. After Trump withdrew from that agreement during his first term in 2018, Iran resumed higher levels of uranium enrichment by restarting operations at Fordow.
The National
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iran's missile launchers forced to pull back from danger zone
Israeli air strikes in western Iran have forced Tehran to move its ballistic missiles to central areas to avoid destruction. In doing so, three of its weapons have been left unable to reach targets within Israel. Besides the 20-missile barrage that struck an Israeli hospital on Thursday, Iran has been unable to mount large-scale or effective strikes. The military has been forced to fire from the Isfahan area of central Iran, about 1,600km from Israeli targets. Its more advanced missiles, the Fatah-1 and Haj Qasem, would now fall short with a range of only 1,400km, as well as the Kheibar Shekan, which can reach distances of 1,450km. The Fatah-1 has been touted as a hypersonic missile with the capability to fly at very high speeds – approaching 18,600kph – while being able to manoeuvre mid-flight, making them difficult to intercept. Liquid missiles These missiles are also the more precise medium-range weapons and, being solid fuel, are easier to transport, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iranian-American analyst based in the US. 'Iran doesn't have many medium-range ballistic missiles on the higher end of the range cap that are solid fuel, so they are now using the liquid-fuel ones,' he said. Liquid-fuel missiles are less accurate and take more time to launch because they have to be filled with propellant on-site as transporting them already fuelled is too dangerous. 'That makes them more vulnerable to launch and that's why the Israelis have had a lot of success as you can actually spot these things being launched. You can destroy them there before they even take off,' Mr Ben Taleblu added. Launchers down The situation further deteriorated for the Tehran regime after Israeli claims that it has destroyed half of all its launchers and up to 40 per cent of its missile stockpile. Iran is now left with using the Emad (1,700km range) and Ghadr (1,950km range) weapons, which use liquid fuel and are vulnerable and difficult to transport. At 2,000km, the solid-fuelled Sejjil-1 has the greatest range and was used in a solitary attack for the first time on Wednesday, which 'may reflect Iran's need to launch longer-range missiles from deeper inside Iranian territory', the Institute for the Study of War think tank said in a report. 'Iran has recently used fewer missiles to attack Israel because it is having difficulty co-ordinating large attacks on Israel, not because Iran is conserving its remaining ballistic missile stockpile,' it added. In its first retaliation attack responding to Israel's surprise operation on Friday last week, Iran fired 200 missiles, followed by 75 the next day and 94 on Sunday, which in total resulted in 24 Israeli civilian deaths. But on Monday it managed only 22, another 47 on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, before Thursday's 20-rocket barrage. Furthermore, Israel has targeted ballistic missile factories to prevent Iran from replenishing its dwindling stockpile. Analysts believe Iran will now be reluctant to use up its remaining long-range stockpile unless it comes to view the conflict with Israel as an existential threat. Mr Ben Taleblu argued that Iran's missile stockpile was now probably below 1,000, as Tehran 'needs to preserve something in terms of their capability and capacity to defend the regime in their mind, in a post-conflict scenario'.
Sky News AU
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Iran's threats attempt to deter American involvement amid 15-tonne bomb scare
FDD Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu has weighed in on the power needed to destroy Iran's nuclear facility. According to reports, a 15-tonne 'bunker buster' bomb is needed to destroy the last nuclear facility in Iran, which the US would need to provide Israel with. 'Already you have Iranian officials as well as Iranian government-linked social media channels threatening to widen the war,' Mr Taleblu told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'Before American entry, these threats of widening the war were designed to deter American involvement and raise the cost of that involvement.'
