A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reveals that Iran carried out undeclared nuclear weapons-related tests, including multiple implosion experiments—key steps in developing an atomic bomb. These activities, which have no civilian application, raise fresh concerns about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and could lead to renewed calls for UN Security Council action.
Much of the IAEA’s findings are based on intelligence obtained by Israel’s Mossad, which smuggled out Iran’s nuclear archives in 2018. The report, released ahead of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting that begins Monday, underscores that while many of the nuclear activities date back two decades, Iran’s meticulous record-keeping means that this old knowledge could support a rapid push toward weaponization even in 2025.
The tests included the use of explosively driven neutron sources (EDNS) produced at Lavizan-Shian and tested at least twice in 2003. Iran also developed neutron detectors and housings, one of which was used in a test at Marivan in April of that year. These activities suggest a level of advancement in nuclear weapons-related skills beyond just uranium enrichment.
The report also discloses new findings about Varamin, another undeclared site. Equipment discovered there included contaminated UF6 cylinders, uranium extractants like tributyl phosphate (TBP), fluorine-based chemicals (HF and KHF2), and radiation monitoring devices—components essential for a uranium conversion facility. Iran categorized the seized equipment into five “essential” and eight “nonessential” containers, one of which had the “highest level of contamination.”
David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, led the analysis of the IAEA findings. He emphasized that the agency now considers Lavizan-Shian, Marivan, Varamin, and potentially other sites as part of a “structured, undeclared nuclear weapons program.” The report also links these sites to missing nuclear material from the Jaber Ibn Hayan Laboratory and reveals that nuclear-related equipment was stored at Turquzabad between 2009 and 2018. The current location of these materials is unknown.
The IAEA further noted that Iran attempted to sanitize sites and mislead inspectors, significantly hampering investigations. While the agency no longer lists issues at Lavizan-Shian and Marivan as “outstanding,” it stressed that this does not imply they are “resolved.”
The report comes as Iran and the U.S. teeter between reviving a nuclear deal or a total collapse in talks—raising the specter of a possible Israeli military strike.
