Slain Iranian nuclear scientists raises alarm over uranium, expertise reaching black market
The killing of Iranian nuclear scientists in US-Israeli military strikes has raised fears that if the regime is destabilized, the weakening of control over uranium stockpiles and the spread of nuclear expertise could increase the risk of nuclear proliferation.
While Iran may be able to replace its lost personnel, experts say the lost expertise will be more difficult to rebuild and undisclosed sites in the country could leave hazardous materials and information vulnerable.
“Currently, the risk of nuclear terrorism or nuclear materials moving to the black market remains low,” said Nonproliferation Policy Director Kelsey Davenport. Arms Control Association.
“Non-state actors will face challenges accessing enriched uranium and are unlikely to have the infrastructure to enrich it to weapons grade and convert it into the metallic form needed for the warhead core,” he said.
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“However, if the current Iranian government collapses or if the conflict leads to serious internal instability, the risk of nuclear materials being stolen or diverted to undeclared sites will increase.”
“There is also a risk that Iranian nuclear scientists may be willing to sell their expertise to states or non-state actors seeking nuclear weapons,” Davenport said in a new report.
In the last two years, many senior figures in Iran’s nuclear and defense infrastructure have been killed, coinciding with the US and Israel’s offensive campaigns against Iran. Iran’s nuclear facilities Between 2025 and 2026.
These include Hossein Jabal Amelian, head of the Defense Innovation and Research Organization (SPND), who was killed in 2026 during Operation Rising Lion and Operation Epic Fury.
President Pezeshkian said that Iran will rebuild the nuclear facilities targeted by the United States and make them more powerful in 2025.
(Getty Images)
SPND is seen as a continuation of Iran’s pre-2004 nuclear weapons program and plays a key role in new proliferation research.
Others killed in 2025 include Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, Akbar Motallebizadeh and Said Borji, all linked to weaponization efforts.
“The full impact of this campaign on Iran’s weapons capabilities remains unclear,” said senior research fellow Jim Lamson. Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation Studies, he told Fox News Digital.
“Administrators and scientists will be replaced, but the impact on the experience and expertise of the killed officials will be difficult to compensate for.” former CIA analyst in question.
“Many key scientists involved in suspected weaponization efforts were killed in 2025 and 2026.”
“Their successors may also fear being targeted through military attack or assassination in the future. This may affect their motivation and willingness to participate in any nuclear weapons program.”
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Mourners carry the coffin of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber.
Lamson also said many of those targeted were placed in sensitive areas of Iran’s nuclear efforts, including the fuel cycle and armament.
“These scientists had expertise in areas of the nuclear fuel cycle that are of primary concern for nuclear weapons, including the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU), Iran’s main pathway for fissile material,” he said.
“The scientists also had expertise in weaponization, that is, key aspects of the design and manufacture of nuclear explosive devices,” Lamson added.
So USA and Israel Targeted attacks also took place He said the network of sites affiliated with his business creates extra hurdles for Iran’s program in the near term.
“We determined that at least 11 gun-related sites have been hit since 2024,” Lamson said.
“These include the SPND headquarters, a newly identified area called Min-Zadayi in northeast Tehran, SPND’s Taleghan and Sanjarian explosives testing ranges, the Ministry of Defense’s Shahid Meisami complex in western Tehran, and several research universities.”
These facilities are all related to neutronics, explosives, metallurgy and nuclear physics, and all are linked to nuclear weapons development, he said.
Satellite images show reinforcement efforts in the Mount Kazma region, where Trump has said Tehran is pursuing nuclear weapons.
Despite the scale of recent attacks, Iran retains enriched nuclear material. Donald Trump He added on April 17 that the US would work with Iran to remove “nuclear dust” (enriched uranium) from the region, and that both countries would use heavy machinery to remove it.
International Atomic Energy Agency It is also estimated that Iran still holds more than 200 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% in Isfahan; This amount is roughly enough for five weapons if further enhanced.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also said that previous attacks remained “under rubble” and that Tehran had no plan to salvage it.
“It is always possible that Iran has additional fields unknown to Israel and the United States,” Lamson said.
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“We will have to wait to see how much of a lasting strategic impact these operations translate into on Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons.”
“It is easier to detect damage and death caused by the epidemic” Israeli and US attacksLamson said it is more difficult to assess their true impact on Iran’s capabilities and intentions to produce nuclear weapons.
Original article source: Murdered Iranian nuclear scientists raise alarm over uranium, expertise reaches black market
