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Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How Israel Killed Iran's Top Nuclear Scientists
A banner in Tehran showing pictures of Iranians who were killed in Israeli strikes. When Israel's attacks on Iran began before dawn on June 13, explosions shattered the homes of some of Iran's top scientists, killing nine people who had worked for decades on Tehran's nuclear program. All nine were killed in near-simultaneous attacks to prevent them from going into hiding, according to people familiar with the attacks. Eleven days later, hours before a cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Qatar took effect Wednesday, an attack in northern Iran killed another scientist, Sayyed Seddighi Saber, according to Israeli and Iranian state media. He was sanctioned just weeks ago by the U.S. for his nuclear weapons-related work. The attack on the scientists was considered so fantastical by even its planners that it was called 'Operation Narnia,' after the fictional C.S. Lewis series. The killings were the culmination of 15 years of efforts to wipe out one of Iran's most prized assets—the top cadre of scientists who worked on a secret nuclear-weapons-related program that Iran had pursued at least until 2003. Israel has closely tracked the scientists ever since. While the U.S. and Israel are trying to assess the extent of damage done by their strikes on Iran's main nuclear sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed the killings have pushed back Iran's nuclear program by years. Former officials and experts say the attacks against the scientists delivered a powerful blow against Iran's ability to race for the bomb in the aftermath of the conflict. Most of the people killed, a total of at least 11 by the time a cease-fire took effect Wednesday, had hands-on experience in testing and building components of a warhead, like the detonation systems, high explosives and the neutron sources that trigger the chain reaction. 'It's one thing to lose that expertise slowly over time, especially if you are not trying to actually build a bomb. You have time to replace them,' said Eric Brewer, who was U.S. national security director for counterproliferation. 'But if you're in the middle of trying to build a bomb or if you see that as a potential near-term option, then it's going to have a bigger impact.' Iran has retained and passed a lot of that expertise on to a new generation of scientists. It has denied ever having sought the bomb, saying its program is peaceful. The U.N. atomic agency said Iran had a nuclear-weapons-related program, known as the AMAD project, until 2003. Israeli and Western officials say that Iran's nuclear weapons work has continued in a more fragmented way since then, leaving Iran within months of being able to build a bomb. But much of that work has been confined to studies and computer modeling, always carefully designed to be explained away as conventional military work. A week after the June 13 attacks, Israel used a drone to kill another scientist who was being kept in what was supposed to be a safe house in Tehran. The person hasn't been named. Israel also said last week it had bombed the Tehran headquarters of the SPND, the successor organization of AMAD. Smoke rises over Tehran following an attack on an oil depot. The offices of Iran's state broadcaster after it was hit in an Israeli attack. The deadly airstrikes were the first to target Iran's nuclear scientists since 2020, when Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was gunned down with a remote-controlled weapon. Israel has never denied or confirmed its role in the deaths of five Iranian scientists between 2010 and 2020. On Saturday, thousands attended the funerals of the scientists and other prominent Iranians killed during the conflict, Iranian state media said. Some of the coffins carried family members of the scientists, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. Israel hasn't commented on whether family members were also killed in the strikes targeting the scientists. Israel said its actions have stopped Iran from crossing the threshold to having a nuclear weapon. Among the most important targets was Fereydoon Abbasi-Devani, the former head of the Atomic Agency of Iran and one of the founders of Iran's nuclear weapons-related work, according to David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. Abbasi-Devani was a manager and senior adviser to the AMAD program, with his scientific work focusing on the development of neutron initiators, which fire neutrons into the core of a weapon to trigger a chain reaction. Abbasi-Devani survived a car-bomb assassination attempt in 2010 on the same day another Iranian nuclear scientist was killed. In a recent TV interview, Abbasi-Devani said Iran had all the knowledge it needed for a nuclear weapon. 'If they tell me to build a bomb, I will build it,' he said. A satellite image shows the Arak nuclear facility after it was damaged in the fighting. Technicians at the Isfahan nuclear facility in 2005. Another killed scientist was Mohammad Mehdi Teranchi, who led a unit under Fakhrizadeh focusing on high explosives, which are needed to detonate a nuclear weapon, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. He later became a professor at the physics department of Tehran's prestigious Shahid Beheshti University, where a large number of nuclear scientists, including Abbasi-Devani, worked, said Ronen Solomon, an Israeli security analyst. One of the last targets, Sayyed Seddighi Saber, was head of the key Shahid Karimi Group, which runs explosives-related projects for the SPND program. A spokeswoman for the Israeli military declined to name the person killed. 'Seddighi Saber is linked to projects including research and testing applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices,' the U.S. Treasury Department said when it sanctioned him on May 12. Abbasi-Devani and Teranchi were also sanctioned by the U.S. along with others for their nuclear-related work. So was Shahid Beheshti University. Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington think tank, said Israel's targeted killings took out the 'brain trust of nuclear scientists' and dealt 'a blow to Iran's ability to draw on people who have past and possibly ongoing experience in constructing specific components of nuclear weapons.' Yet others describe a sophisticated system Iran had developed for retaining and advancing its nuclear-weapons expertise. That system has allowed Iran's nuclear program to advance even as its top scientists were being killed. Iran has for years maintained a nuclear archive detailing all the work it had carried out before 2003, as well as Tehran's future plans. It was discovered and raided by Israeli commandos in 2018. Iran kept old nuclear-weapons-related equipment, including undeclared enriched uranium, just down the road from the archive. It was dispersed in 2018 and the U.N. atomic energy agency has been demanding answers ever since to where it was sent. Iran has used universities like Shahid Beheshti, the Sharif University of Technology and Malek Ashtar University to keep alive its nuclear-weapons expertise over the past two decades, Solomon said. At these universities, Iran often matches up its nuclear scientists on experiments and other studies with younger students, Solomon said. Two of the scientists killed on June 13, Ahmadreza Zolfaghari and Abdulhamid Minouchehr, published an article in the Annals of Nuclear Energy in June 2024 that used advanced computer modeling to show how neutron sources behave in a chain reaction, he said. That information can be used for civilian purposes, like building a nuclear reactor, or to help trigger a chain reaction in a nuclear weapon. 'There are the professors, and they are teaching the younger scientists…to enter the heart of the Iranian nuclear program,' Solomon said. Write to Laurence Norman at and Dov Lieber at How Israel Killed Iran's Top Nuclear Scientists How Israel Killed Iran's Top Nuclear Scientists How Israel Killed Iran's Top Nuclear Scientists
LeMonde
19-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
How close is Iran to having nuclear weapons?
Since Friday, June 13, Iran has been the target of intense Israeli airstrikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have justified the attack by the need to "eliminate" the "threat" posed by Iran's military program, focusing its initial strikes on the regime's atomic infrastructure. For years, Israel has warned that its enemy was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, but events have accelerated recently. On Thursday, just hours before the strikes, Iran's clerical leadership announced a "significant" increase in enriched uranium production, as talks with the United States were at an impasse. Does this mean that Tehran was, this time, very close to acquiring a nuclear bomb? What is Iran's nuclear project? The Islamic regime, which came to power in 1979, has always denied the pursuit of a nuclear weapons development program. Tehran insists its program is strictly "peaceful" and intended only for the development of civilian nuclear power plants. In November 2024, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, reiterated that the "problems" raised by the program were a result of a "misunderstanding." In the name of developing civilian nuclear power, Tehran says it has the right to enrich uranium and has made the ban on enrichment a red line for signing any new international deal. "No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal," summarized Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, June 4. Various sources, compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Israeli intelligence, nonetheless confirmed that a program named "AMAD," aimed at developing nuclear weapons, existed in Iran in the early 2000s. It was reportedly dismantled in 2003. Afterward, Tehran created the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SNPD, its Persian acronym), but has denied that this organization had a military purpose. According to Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, both the AMAD program and the SNPD were led by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian physicist who was assassinated in 2020 in an attack attributed to Israel. The development of nuclear power also acts as a unifying issue for the Iranian population. According to Amélie Chelly, an Iran specialist and researcher at Sorbonne-Nouvelle University, the vast majority of Iranians oppose the current regime but support nuclear efforts to "sanctuarize the territory." Where does Iran stand now? To distinguish between the development of a civilian nuclear program and the pursuit of a nuclear weapon, observers focus on the percentage of uranium enrichment, one of the key materials needed for a nuclear chain reaction. While civilian nuclear power (used by Iran in its only nuclear plant, located at Bushehr) requires enrichment of just 3% to 5%, several elements suggest Tehran is seeking to go much further. What is uranium enrichment? Uranium is a heavy metal and a naturally radioactive element. It is abundant on Earth and can be found in small quantities in rock, soil, or water. The three main forms of uranium atoms, known as isotopes, are uranium-234, uranium-235, and uranium-238. Uranium-235 is the only naturally fissile isotope, meaning it can sustain a nuclear fission reaction. However, it is extremely rare. Extracted uranium is composed of more than 99% uranium-238 by mass and just 0.7% uranium-235. To be used as fuel in a nuclear power plant or in the manufacture of a bomb, natural uranium must therefore be "enriched" with uranium-235 – that is, the isotopic concentration of uranium-235 must be increased. "Low-enriched" uranium contains less than 20% uranium-235. Most commercial civilian reactors use fuel enriched between 3% and 5% to produce electricity. "Highly enriched" uranium has a concentration above 20%. It is mainly used in naval propulsion reactors, such as submarines, or in certain research reactors. To manufacture a nuclear weapon, uranium must be enriched to 90%. This is a lengthy and laborious process that requires several thousand centrifuges. Iran already possesses a large number – around 14,000, according to figures from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cited on Friday, June 13, by the New York Times – across several sites, such as at Natanz, south of Tehran. According to the IAEA, the only international body authorized to inspect facilities on site, Tehran is now capable of producing 34 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% per month. In its March 2025 report, the agency estimated, based on data provided by the Islamic Republic, that the country then had 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. While uranium enriched to 60% is not usable, Iran's nuclear program is approaching the 90% threshold required to produce nuclear weapons. With its current stockpile, Iran could be capable of producing "more than nine" bombs, the European troika (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) told the IAEA Board of Governors on Thursday, June 12. According to European diplomats, there is no doubt that "Iran has continued its nuclear escalation unabatedly, even further beyond any credible civilian justification." That being said, it remains very difficult to know how much time Tehran would still need to acquire the bomb. According to Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, who spoke to Le Monde, the estimated timeline, prior to the Israeli attack, was "a year or a few months." However, he added some nuance: "Iran has been a few months away from the nuclear bomb for 15 years." Objectively assessing Tehran's potential to acquire the bomb is all the more complex because the regime deliberately maintains a degree of opacity. In its June 2025 report, the IAEA denounced maneuvers aimed at preventing it from conducting its "verification activities" on site, or the inability to "provide (…) technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles (…) at several undeclared locations." The agency mentioned a series of "concealment efforts," notably "extensive sanitization" and the "provision of inaccurate explanations" by authorities, preventing the IAEA from having "assurance that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful." Has Tehran broken its commitments? Iran began a civilian nuclear program in the 1950s, under the shah's regime. In 1968, the Iranian leader, an ally of Western powers, signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which aims to prohibit the use of atomic energy for military purposes. In doing so, Iran pledged never to produce nuclear weapons. The revolution in 1979 and the rise to power of the Islamists effectively stopped the nuclear program. It was then discreetly restarted, with Tehran gradually acquiring the necessary facilities to produce enriched uranium. In January 2006, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that "Iran has joined the group of those countries which have nuclear technology" – a bombshell statement, given that the country at that time only mastered enrichment to 3.5%. While there was no official mention of military ambitions, Iran's program worried the international community enough to justify the imposition of severe financial sanctions on the country. In July 2015, after years of negotiations, Iran and the "P5+1 group" (US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany) reached a deal, which committed to limiting its production to civilian purposes in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Nevertheless, doubts persisted about Iran's willingness to honor its commitments. Trump, deeming the agreement negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama (2009-2017) ineffective, decided to withdraw from the deal in May 2018. The US then reinstated sanctions against the Iranian regime, and Tehran decided to resume uranium enrichment as of November 2019, then at 4.5%. After returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, Trump reestablished contact with Iran starting in April, hoping to negotiate a deal on the nuclear issue. The fifth round of talks ended in May without significant progress: Tehran refused to reverse its uranium enrichment, while Washington insisted that Iran's capabilities in this area be reduced to zero. The latest round of negotiations between American and Iranian officials, scheduled for Sunday, June 15, in Muscat, Oman, was canceled because of the Israeli attack.
Business Wire
16-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Gentex Corporation Announces Agreements With New Partners for Ops-Core
CARBONDALE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders and industrial personnel, has announced partnerships with new development collaborators as part of its Ops-Core RAILINK system accessory program. MOHOC, Inc., Advanced Material and Devices (AMAD), NanoAi Technologies and seven additional partners have entered royalty-free license agreements to create new accessories, further expanding the RAILINK ecosystem and enhancing its capabilities for end users. These agreements with new development partners underscore Gentex's commitment to continuing to expand and evolve the capabilities of this innovative platform. Share 'These agreements with new development partners underscore Gentex's commitment to continuing to expand and evolve the capabilities of this innovative platform. By leveraging the expertise of industry leaders in their respective capability domains to develop more accessories, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for our end users, and the system becomes more impactful to a broader audience,' said Rafe Bennett, Vice President of Product Management at Gentex Corporation. To support future product and accessory development, Gentex offers select industry partners royalty-free licensing and optional technical assistance, simplifying the process of leveraging the patented RAILINK system's advanced capabilities. To learn more about becoming a RAILINK Development Partner and sign up for future RAILINK announcements click About RAILINK Power and Data System The RAILINK platform facilitates integration of a broad range of sensors, displays, augmented reality capability and wireless functionality on the headborne system. Powered by a central helmet power center, feeding power to, and sharing data between, an array of smart nodes and a VAS/NVG interface RAILINK improves protection and lethality by increasing the effectiveness of the user and reducing their burden. About MOHOC, Inc. Founded in 2014, MOHOC develops specialized cameras for elite end users. MOHOC products serve the Special Forces, defense, tactical law enforcement and first responders in the US and over 70 countries worldwide with both video recording cameras and the new MOHOC ® 2 series for live video streaming. For further information, please visit About Advanced Material and Devices AMAD develops next-generation blast sensor products for air, underwater and human surrogate applications, supporting its vision to innovate systems that enhance the safety and protection of personnel and equipment. AMAD's expertise also extends into magnetorheological (MR) materials and devices, providing adaptive solutions for protective systems. Learn more about AMAD here. About NanoAi Technologies NanoAi Technologies is a proven proprietary platform sensing technology with the ability to detect explosives, ammunition and narcotics at standoff distances with wearable, drone/robot/vehicle and mounted capabilities. Combined with the full force of its artificial intelligence, swarming capabilities and geolocation of each sensor providing immediate real-time results simultaneously to operators in the field and the task force. For more on NanoAi, visit About Gentex Corporation Part of Gentex Corporation's portfolio for defense, emergency response and security forces, the focus and dedication of the company's Ops-Core brand remains the same – protecting elite forces. The modular, scalable, open-architecture design of Ops-Core products allows for seamless integration and true system level performance.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gentex Corporation Announces Agreements With New Partners for Ops-Core® RAILINK® Power and Data ARC Rail System
License agreements signed with new development partners for Integrated Headborne Platform CARBONDALE, Pa., June 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders and industrial personnel, has announced partnerships with new development collaborators as part of its Ops-Core RAILINK system accessory program. MOHOC, Inc., Advanced Material and Devices (AMAD), NanoAi Technologies and seven additional partners have entered royalty-free license agreements to create new accessories, further expanding the RAILINK ecosystem and enhancing its capabilities for end users. "These agreements with new development partners underscore Gentex's commitment to continuing to expand and evolve the capabilities of this innovative platform. By leveraging the expertise of industry leaders in their respective capability domains to develop more accessories, we continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for our end users, and the system becomes more impactful to a broader audience," said Rafe Bennett, Vice President of Product Management at Gentex Corporation. To support future product and accessory development, Gentex offers select industry partners royalty-free licensing and optional technical assistance, simplifying the process of leveraging the patented RAILINK system's advanced capabilities. To learn more about becoming a RAILINK Development Partner and sign up for future RAILINK announcements click About RAILINK Power and Data System The RAILINK platform facilitates integration of a broad range of sensors, displays, augmented reality capability and wireless functionality on the headborne system. Powered by a central helmet power center, feeding power to, and sharing data between, an array of smart nodes and a VAS/NVG interface RAILINK improves protection and lethality by increasing the effectiveness of the user and reducing their burden. About MOHOC, Inc. Founded in 2014, MOHOC develops specialized cameras for elite end users. MOHOC products serve the Special Forces, defense, tactical law enforcement and first responders in the US and over 70 countries worldwide with both video recording cameras and the new MOHOC® 2 series for live video streaming. For further information, please visit About Advanced Material and Devices AMAD develops next-generation blast sensor products for air, underwater and human surrogate applications, supporting its vision to innovate systems that enhance the safety and protection of personnel and equipment. AMAD's expertise also extends into magnetorheological (MR) materials and devices, providing adaptive solutions for protective systems. Learn more about AMAD here. About NanoAi Technologies NanoAi Technologies is a proven proprietary platform sensing technology with the ability to detect explosives, ammunition and narcotics at standoff distances with wearable, drone/robot/vehicle and mounted capabilities. Combined with the full force of its artificial intelligence, swarming capabilities and geolocation of each sensor providing immediate real-time results simultaneously to operators in the field and the task force. For more on NanoAi, visit About Gentex Corporation Part of Gentex Corporation's portfolio for defense, emergency response and security forces, the focus and dedication of the company's Ops-Core brand remains the same – protecting elite forces. The modular, scalable, open-architecture design of Ops-Core products allows for seamless integration and true system level performance. View source version on Contacts Media ContactAlexandra Braxabrax@
Morocco World
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Morocco Reaffirms Commitment to Clean Sport at African Anti-Doping Forum
Rabat – Morocco renews its stance on clean and ethical sports as it hosts the first forum of African National Anti-Doping Organizations (ONADs), a two-day event that brings together experts, officials, and advocates for fair play from across the continent. Speaking in Rabat at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education Mohammed Saad Berrada described the gathering as more than just a formal exchange. It reflects a clear choice Morocco has made to align sports policy with international standards and to push for a culture of integrity on and off the field, he said. 'This forum stands as proof of our collective resolve to protect fairness in African sport,' Berrada said, pointing to the close cooperation between Morocco's anti-doping agency (AMAD), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and its Africa office. Berrada also referred to a message sent by King Mohammed VI in 2008 during the national sports conference, in which the monarch warned that doping runs counter to Moroccan values, culture, and law. The message remains just as relevant today, he argued. Since ratifying the UNESCO convention against doping in 2007, and the Council of Europe's agreement in 2013, Morocco has continued to build a legal and institutional framework around anti-doping. But beyond paperwork and policy, Berrada said, the issue touches on something deeper: the moral fabric of sport. 'Doping doesn't just harm athletes' health, it strikes at the heart of what sport should represent: fairness, mutual respect, and the pursuit of excellence,' he explained. Read also: Morocco Presents Draft Law to Fight Against Doping in Sports Meanwhile, Fatima Abouali, president of AMAD, described the agency's role as one that goes beyond enforcement. She sees it as a connector, a space where athletes, officials, doctors, universities, and journalists can speak the same language about ethics in sport. 'This forum gives us the chance to hear each other, to understand where we stand, and to move forward together,' Abouali said. She noted that AMAD has worked steadily since its creation to put strong structures in place, through training sessions, public awareness efforts, and partnerships with key players in the sporting world. The goal, she said, is not just to catch violations but to build a lasting culture of integrity. For Abdellatif Idmahama, Secretary General of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee, the forum also carries a political and diplomatic weight. He called it an example of South-South cooperation, an idea central to Morocco's foreign policy. 'This is about more than sport. It's about building trust, fairness, and solidarity between nations,' he said. Panel discussions throughout the forum address several priorities: the role of athletes in shaping clean sport , strategies for continental cooperation, the path ahead for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and how anti-doping rules will evolve in the years ahead. For many of the attendees, the forum offers more than just technical updates. It provides a rare opportunity to reflect, connect, and imagine a sporting future where talent, not shortcuts, defines success. Tags: anti dopingclean sportsMorocco anti dopingMorocco sports
