The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday it destroyed a secret nuclear headquarters that Iran had reconstituted after last year’s strikes damaged key facilities.
At a press conference, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin identified the site as “Minzadehei,” a partially underground compound on the outskirts of Tehran.
“At the partially-underground facility, called ‘Minzadehei,’ a group of nuclear scientists worked secretly to develop capabilities required for nuclear weapons,” Defrin said.
According to the Israeli military, the scientists began using the compound after Israel’s Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, during which multiple Iranian nuclear sites were targeted.
The IDF claimed that following the 12-day war last year, Iran “did not halt its military nuclear activity and continued to develop the capabilities required for nuclear weapons, while transferring infrastructure to an underground site protected from aerial attack.”
Israel said it monitored the movements of Iranian nuclear scientists who allegedly attempted to travel clandestinely to the new location.
The IDF said it located their new place of operation at this site, enabling a precise strike on the secret compound.
Israeli officials stated that the site supported research tied to a key component for nuclear weapons but did not claim that uranium enrichment was taking place there.
Separately, the IDF said that since the start of the current war, the Israeli Air Force has destroyed around 300 Iranian missile launchers.
There was no immediate public comment from Iran or the United States regarding the specific site named by Israel.
The United States had said as recently as last week that previous strikes had destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme, while also accusing Tehran of attempting to restart parts of it. However, US officials have not said Iran resumed uranium enrichment.
