Iran secretly building nuclear weapons able to reach Europe based on North Korean designs

Iran secretly building nuclear weapons able to reach Europe based on North Korean designs

Lior Ben Ari

Iran has allegedly been covertly developing nuclear weapons with a 1,800‑mile 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 U.S. 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 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. 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 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 rocket. Much of the work at this site is conducted underground to evade intelligence surveillance, with six new constructions added since 2005.

More...