This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
On January 12, 2018, the Mossad raided a warehouse in Tehran, uncovering tens of thousands of pages of nuclear-weapons planning documents dating back nearly two decades. The operation, which was likely facilitated by insiders, marked a significant escalation in the intelligence war between Israel and Iran.
The killing of General Suleimani, the mastermind of Iran's actions in Iraq and attacks on Americans, was another example of the US's aggressive military moves under President Trump's leadership. The operation was based on intelligence gathered by live agents, much of which was provided by insiders.
Fast forward to the Natanz explosion, which occurred at the Iran Centrifuge Assembly Center. This facility was responsible for building advanced centrifuges capable of producing far more nuclear fuel than their predecessors. The new machines were designed to be deployed years after the 2015 accord, but Iran's crash effort to mass-produce them was an ambitious attempt to demonstrate its ability to respond to the US's rejection of the deal.
A study by the Institute for Science and International Security concluded that the explosion was a 'major setback' for Iran's nuclear program, which will likely take years to recover from. The study noted that while the explosion does not eliminate Iran's ability to deploy advanced centrifuges, it will significantly hinder the country's progress.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to comment on the issue, but it is widely known that he has a close relationship with Yossi Cohen, the director of the Mossad. The two men have a history of collaborating on intelligence operations, making it unlikely that Mr. Pompeo was unaware of the impending strike.
Yossi Cohen's involvement in the operation is not surprising, given his extensive experience in Iran operations. As the director of the Mossad, he was responsible for the covert seizure of the secret nuclear archive and the sophisticated cyberstrikes known as Olympic Games, which targeted Iran's nuclear facilities in 2012.
