How Much Damage Did U.S. Strikes Do to Iran’s Fordo Nuclear Site?

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[–><!–>Without access to the site, it may be quite some time before outside experts can gauge exactly how seriously Fordo was damaged, though a recent U.S. assessment described it as badly damaged. But a look at the bomb used and the facility’s structure, as well as an assessment of the site’s geology, offers some clues.–><!–>

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–>The bomb<!–>

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–>The ventilation shafts<!–>

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[–><!–>Each of the shafts opened to a trident shape at the top, according to a June 26 Pentagon briefing. In both locations, the aim was to blow off a concrete cap with one bomb and drop five more down the main shaft.–><!–>

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–>The geology<!–>

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[–><!–>Several geologists consulted by The New York Times said that an Iranian survey of the Fordo area, published in 2020 in Geopersia, an academic journal from the University of Tehran, indicates that the rock there consists largely of ignimbrite, a type of volcanic rock.–><!–>

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–>The facility<!–>

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–>The variables<!–>

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[–><!–>That’s consistent with the growing confidence of American officials that the strike badly damaged Fordo and wiped out its array of centrifuges.–><!–>

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