Will Iran be helped by Russia to restore its nuclear program? Expert: “I saw a change in the Russian Federation”

Liviu Horovitz, an expert in nuclear problem, argues that the restoration of the US Iranian nuclear facilities will take several years. Regarding the help of Iran by Russia and China to restore the nuclear program, the expert is reserved.

Trump said that all targeted targets were destroyed. Photo: Profimedia

The United States officially confirmed on Sunday that the attacks on the nuclear infrastructure in Iran bore the code name “Operation Midnight Hammer” (“The Operation of the Ciocan at midnight”). The announcement was made by the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, at a press conference at the White House.

On Saturday, six B-2 American bombers launched over 12 penetrating bombs of 13,600 kg on the Fordo nuclear complex, a center in the depths of the mountains, south of the Iranian capital. In parallel, American submarines fired 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles on Natanz and Isfahan facilities. American officials declared the operation a “spectacular military success”, and Trump confirmed in his night speech that the fort was “laughed on the face of the earth.”

Hegseth also stated that the attacks were not directed against the people, but against the “nuclear ambitions of Iran, which were neutralized.”

Tensions in the Middle East have entered a new phase after the United States attacks on Iranian nuclear goals. The reactions were not delayed, and one of the most shocking comes from the former Russian president, Dmitri Medvedev, who claims that “more countries” would be willing to deliver to Iran nuclear, in response to American blows.

In a message published on Sunday on the X network (former Twitter), Medvedev-currently vice-president of the Russian Security Council-states that American air attacks on Nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fortow would have had an effect contrary by the Trump administration, contributing, in his opinion to the consolidation of the regime.

“The enrichment of the uranium – and, now we can say without bypasses, the future production of nuclear weapons – will continue”the former Kremlin leader wrote, claiming that the American blows have caused unexpected cohesion among the Iranian society, including among those before the country's religious leadership.

China reacted harshly after the United States on Iran's nuclear installations, accusing Washington of violating international law and aggravated the already tense situation in the Middle East.

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, does not currently have plans to discuss with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, following the attacks launched by the United States on Iranian nuclear installations, Kremlin announced on Sunday, according to the TASS news agency. However, Moscow said that a telephone call between the two leaders “could be arranged quickly” if necessary.

The lack of a direct dialog between Putin and Trump at this time reflects a reserved position of Russia, but also a tactical availability for a diplomatic intervention, if the tensions in the region get out of control.

“There was no imminent danger for Iranu to make nuclear weapons.”

“Adevărul” analyzed the situation with Liviu Horovitz, an expert in nuclear problem and researcher within the International Security Division of the German Institute for International Affairs and Security.

“They had enough material, in the records of the verification system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and sufficient capacities that in a relatively short time, to make it nuclear weapons, if they had removed it from the atomic agency's verification system,” supports the expert.

However, Horovitz claims that the situation is more complex: “A bomb does not mean an arsenal, you do not get a bomb, put it in a Volkswagen and drive it to the target.”

Asked if there was an imminent danger for Iran to produce nuclear weapons, Horovitz replies: “No. If we talk about the confluence of what we have defined as a military danger and what we would legally define as an imminent danger, the answer is, in my opinion, as clear as possible.”.

“The restoration of the destroyed facilities will take several years”

As for the degree to which Iranian nuclear program was destroyed/affected, Horovitz says “Nobody knows at the moment.”

“The ability of a state to develop a nuclear weapon is related to the physical abilities it has today, to the scientific skills it has today and to the resources it is willing to invest tomorrow.”he explains.

On the scientific data side, they can be destroyed to a very small extent with the help of bombs. “There are data noted somewhere or who exist in the minds of those who have worked on the program, a probably relatively large number of people. These knowledge are essential in the process of making the nuclear bomb,” details the expert.

A very important component is “How much is the regime to invest in the resumption of the program ” And here we go back to the debate that has been very related to the Iranian nuclear capabilities. “If you attack them militarily with power and put pressure on them, you can either make them give up the program, or to ambitance them harder. The management can tell the population:” See what happens if we do not have nuclear bombs? We have to invest 5 times so much and do it as soon as possible. Here is a debate and between the specialists “. It is not very clear what the effect will be. ” – Horovitz details.

The expert claims that he is sure that we are starting from the premise that all the facilities that were on the surface have been destroyed. “Those, of course, must be restored and will take years to rebuild them and talk about important investments.”

As for as percent of the underground installations at the fortow they have been destroyed, it is very difficult to appreciate now. “The Americans for years have invested in those bombs on those aircraft so that they could destroy exactly this structure. Of course, the Iranians looked at what the Americans developed and built installations that at least theoretically had to resist. Now … the question is:” they resisted? ” The answer is “probably not”, but who knows“He concluded.

“In any scenario, a few years will have to restore the facilities there”the expert added.

As for the teams of researchers who worked on the program, Horovitz says that “It is difficult to gather a team from scratch to resume the program, but here we must be circumspect with the information. It is obvious that the Iranians will not be transparent and will not say how many of the team have been eliminated, as will the Israelis. Everyone has the interest of not telling the truth.”

Will Russia and China help restore the program?

The idea that Russia or China countries are conveyed, will react to these strokes and help Iran restore their nuclear program.

“If we talk about the existence of the ability of these countries to help Iran, the answer is affirmative: they can do this. If we talk about the extent they want to do so, it does not seem very likely. Again, and because, in particular, the Russians at the end of the day have no interest for the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon, or at least for a few years. The other camp: from supporters of the non-Proliferation treaty, to help Iran get the nuclear weapon.“He explains.

As for the effect of this US intervention, the expert says:

“If the last days they were discussing each other about how Americans will go home and we will have a world in which the united villages will be isolationist and will not be involved in international politics, we see that between the political statements that American leaders make to win the elections and reality in the field, the difference is very high. It is very big ”.