Isfahan, apparent site of Israeli strike, is home to Iranian nuclear facilities

Isfahan is Iran’s third-largest city, located in Isfahan province in the center of the country more than 200 miles south of the capital, Tehran.

Isfahan is home to a military air base and research facilities associated with Iran’s nuclear program.

The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center is Iran’s largest nuclear research complex and employs approximately 3,000 scientists, according to the nonprofit Nuclear Threat Initiative. It was built with Chinese assistance and opened in 1984. It operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors, the NTI says, adding that the facility is also the target of both U.S. and U.N. sanctions.

The Natanz uranium enrichment plant is also located in the north of Isfahan province and is Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facility. In April 2021, Tehran blamed Israel for a sabotage attack on its Natanz plant, which caused a blackout and damaged centrifuges.

Isfahan is also the site of the Shekari army air base.

Iranian state media reported that no significant damage resulted from Friday’s strikes. Reports of the blasts began appearing on social media about 4 a.m. local time in Iran. Iranian military officials said air defense networks in the area were activated and that a system at a military base in Isfahan “was used for an interception,” according to state media.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, also said Friday that the attack caused no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, including those in Isfahan. “IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely,” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. He called for “extreme restraint from everybody.”

Given Israel’s long-range military capabilities, the attack appeared to be only a pinprick.

The Israeli official — speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters — did not confirm the location of the strikes but said they were intended to send a message to Iran that Israel has the ability to strike inside the country.

A person familiar with official discussions about the attack, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss it publicly, said the strike was “carefully calibrated.”

Analysts and Israeli media commentators suggested that both sides appear keen to avoid further escalation. “It seems that actually both sides want to be seen to be doing something without actually undertaking the risks of doing anything that’s too provocative,” Charles Miller, a security expert at Australian National University, said in an interview.

Isfahan is known for its striking Islamic and Persian architecture and was once an ancient capital under the Seljuq and Safavid dynasties.

Its ornate and colorful Meidan Emam square in the center of the city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, built by the Safavid Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century.

The city’s history and beauty, as well as its position on ancient trading crossroads, have given rise to a common Iranian phrase that “Isfahan is half the world.”

Steve Hendrix, Shane Harris and Frances Vinall contributed to this report.