Report: Iran Secretly Developing Nuclear Warheads for 3000+ Kilometer Missiles

The exiled Iranian group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), announced on Friday that it has evidence showing the Islamic Republic is secretly developing nuclear warheads designed for missiles capable of reaching Europe.

According to the NCRI, Iran is working on nuclear warheads for solid-fuel missiles with a range exceeding 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) at the missile site in Shahroud, northeastern Iran. The group stated that its allegations are based on information from its network inside Iran but did not provide further details.

"Additionally, a missile facility on the outskirts of Semnan, approximately 220 kilometers east of Tehran, is working to produce liquid-fuel missiles with nuclear warheads,” the group noted in its report, adding that the two facilities, previously recognized as rocket or space satellite launch sites, are now in full coordination with the regime’s nuclear weaponization entity, the Organization for Advanced Defense Research (SPND).”

Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and claims its research is solely for peaceful scientific purposes. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessed last year that Iran has not yet decided to develop a nuclear bomb, while Israel maintains that Tehran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons.

On August 14, 2002, the NCRI drew global attention when it publicly accused Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons during a press conference in Washington, D.C. At the time, the group's spokesperson, Alireza Jafarzadeh, revealed that two covert nuclear facilities were being constructed in Natanz and Arak under the guise of front companies involved in procuring nuclear materials and equipment.

More than 22 years later, Jafarzadeh has once again addressed the media, sharing information on how the Islamic Republic is allegedly disguising its nuclear weapons efforts at the Shahroud and Semnan sites as a satellite launch project.

"The SPND is specifically dedicated to developing nuclear warheads for Ghaem-100 solid-fuel missiles, equipped with mobile launch platforms at the Shahroud site, and to building Simorgh liquid-fuel missiles for nuclear warhead development in Semnan," the NCRI stated in a release shared with Iran International.

Last October, Israel carried out airstrikes on several Iranian sites, including the space center in Shahroud. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press (AP) showed that a key building at the Shahroud space center was destroyed.

However, Iran’s defense minister denied any damage to the Shahroud facility, which is involved in producing ballistic missiles and launching rockets as part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) space program.

In September, a report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) claimed that Iran had renewed activity at two nuclear sites, Sanjarian and Golab Dareh, which were central to its early nuclear weapons program two decades ago.

The report, based on satellite images provided by Western intelligence sources, indicated that over the past 18 months, Iranian experts who were involved in weapons-related projects in the early 2000s had resumed work at the two secret sites.

According to the institute, these locations were critical to Iran’s past efforts to develop and test components and systems that could be used to build nuclear weapons.

In recent weeks, Iran has conducted a series of military exercises, including drills focused on defending key nuclear sites such as Natanz and Fordow.

Israeli officials have repeatedly emphasized the possibility of military action against Iran’s nuclear program. On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson, Omer Dostri, told The Jerusalem Post that while Israel prefers a diplomatic solution, it doubts Iran will comply.

"War is one way to achieve our objectives. If Iran halts its nuclear ambitions without an Israeli strike, fantastic," he said. "But we do not expect that to happen."

Dostri also stated that Israel hopes to work with US President Donald Trump to reinstate his "maximum pressure" policy, which imposed severe sanctions on Iran.

While Trump has suggested he might seek a diplomatic resolution, Dostri made it clear that Israel is prepared to act alone if necessary. "We’ll give it a chance, but the clock is ticking. If necessary, we will act—with or without American approval."