Iran moved equipment to safety ahead of an attack on the well-fortified Fordo nuclear facility, an official said on Saturday after Israel targeted sites throughout the country.
The damage outside the facility is manageable, said Behrus Kamalwandi, spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, state news agency IRNA reported. Most of the equipment and materials had been moved to secure areas, he said.
The Fordo nuclear facility includes centrifuges for uranium enrichment at the site located about 100 kilometres south-west of Tehran.
The facility is located deep underground and is protected by anti-aircraft guns.
Iran did not inform the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the facility’s existence until 2009, two years after its construction, after US and allied Western intelligence agencies learned of it.
Even before Israel’s major attack, experts warned that Iran could move highly enriched uranium to secret locations and secure it in the event of war.
They said such an attack would only encourage the Iranian leadership to seek nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
The conflict began with Israel’s large-scale assault launched by Israel early on Friday. According to Iranian officials, dozens of people were killed, and hundreds more injured. Most victims were civilians, including women and children.
Israel, the only nuclear power in the region, primarily targeted Iran’s nuclear programme with its massive attack and said more than 100 targets were hit, including sites in Tehran, Tabriz and Shiraz, as well as the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.