Iran threatens to strike Israel's Dimona nuclear site as conflict escalates

As the US-Israeli offensive against Iran enters its second week with the death toll reportedly exceeding 1,000, Tehran has issued a stark warning targeting one of the Middle East's most sensitive strategic sites. A senior Iranian military official told the website Iran Nuances, later reported by semi-official ISNA news agency, that if Washington and Tel Aviv pursue a "regime change" scenario in practice, Tehran's "final effective missiles will target the Dimona nuclear reactor and all regional energy infrastructure," adding: "This is a scenario we have already prepared for."

What is Dimona?

Officially known as the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, the Dimona facility sits deep in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers from the city of Dimona and 90 kilometers from Jerusalem. The site consists of 10 buildings spread across roughly 36 square kilometers, protected by electrified fencing, patrol roads and anti-aircraft missile batteries, with eight underground laboratories and an estimated 2,700 scientists and technicians. Israel renamed the facility in 2018 after former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, credited with key contributions to developing the country's nuclear program.

From research to weapons capability

Israel's nuclear push began in the 1950s, with France supplying a heavy-water pressurized reactor in 1957 that entered operation around 1963. The facility processes spent nuclear fuel—described as the first stage in producing atomic bombs—with the fuel later transferred for storage or missile mounting. By 1967, US State Department intelligence concluded that Israel possessed a nuclear bomb. Dimona is estimated capable of producing around 9 kilograms of plutonium annually, sufficient for one nuclear bomb with an explosive yield of about 20 kilotons.

Secrecy and estimates

Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, refusing to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and remaining outside core non-proliferation frameworks. The facility's international profile changed dramatically in 1986 when technician Mordechai Vanunu revealed details about the reactor. While Israel never officially confirms its arsenal, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute listed Israel among nuclear-armed states in June 2025, assessing more than 80 nuclear warheads—approximately 30 air-deliverable gravity bombs and 50 long-range Jericho-2 ballistic missiles—with fissile material sufficient for up to 200 warheads.

Regional implications

Iran's threat to target Dimona raises the stakes dramatically in a conflict that has already expanded across multiple fronts. With US-Israeli strikes having killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hundreds of others, and Iranian retaliatory strikes targeting Gulf states and Israel, the potential targeting of Israel's nuclear infrastructure would represent an unprecedented escalation with consequences that could reshape the entire Middle East.