Bombshell Report: Iran’s Secret Nuclear Warhead Program Exposed at Space Program Sites

Iran is covertly developing long-range nuclear warheads at two heavily guarded missile sites, using its space program as a cover to advance its nuclear weapons capabilities, according to explosive new intelligence revealed by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

In a landmark press conference in Washington, DC, on Friday attended by Breitbart News, the prominent exiled anti-regime Iranian opposition group provided new evidence of Tehran’s accelerated nuclear ambitions.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of NCRI’s U.S. office, presented the new findings, stating, “Now what we have found out and we’re releasing today is that the Iran regime has been covertly developing nuclear warheads in a site known as the Shahrud missile site — it’s a known site but not for this purpose.” 

“The goal of this program,” he added, “is to build a nuclear warhead mounted on a solid fuel missile with a range of exceeding 3,000 kilometers (approximately 1,860 miles).” 

The intelligence, gathered by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) from sources inside Iran, highlights two key locations:

• Shahrud Missile Site (about 250 miles northeast of Tehran) – Used for developing nuclear warheads for solid-fuel Ghaem-100 missiles.
• Semnan Missile Site (about 135 miles east of Tehran) – Conducting underground tests critical to nuclear warhead detonation and developing Simorgh missiles, a weapon based on North Korean designs.

Jafarzadeh identified the Organization for Advanced Defense Research (SPND), Iran’s chief nuclear development agency, as the entity spearheading the nuclear program. 

“SPND now has a very large-scale personnel and organization and operations at the Shahrud site,” he said. “Experts from various departments or segments or groups of SPND are actually working on different sections related to the nuclear weaponization, and related to the development of nuclear warheads.”

Shahrud: The Center of Iran’s Warhead Development

Displaying satellite images of the Shahrud missile site, which show missile storage buildings, underground tunnels, an engine testing site, and a helicopter landing area; Jafarzadeh detailed the security measures in place.

National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) press conference in Washington, DC.

“Several kilometers before you get to the site, there is a sign on the road [that] says military zone and hunting is prohibited. The local citizens, anyone who travels there, if they pass the prohibited area they get arrested.”

Personnel working at the site, he explained, are primarily IRGC Aerospace Force experts and SPND scientists, transported via buses and private cars but required to switch to shuttles inside the base.

National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) press conference in Washington, DC.

Jafarzadeh also discussed the history of the site, emphasizing that it was personally selected in 2009 by IRGC Brig. Gen. Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, known as the father of Iran’s missile program. After Moghaddam’s death in a 2011 missile test explosion, his work was continued by IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Jafarabadi, who now oversees the Ghaem-100 missile project, which was designed from the very beginning to carry a nuclear warhead.

He then explained the cover operation Iran is using. 

“They have camouflaged the whole operation in Shahrud as a space initiative,” he said. “Basically, ostensibly, they’re saying the aim is to launch a communication satellite into orbit.”

However, the NCRI alleges that this “space initiative” serves a dual purpose — allowing Iran to build a nuclear warhead while also developing independent satellite communications necessary for guiding nuclear warheads.

Semnan: A Hub for Underground Nuclear Tests

Revealing that the northeastern section of the facility is almost entirely underground, Jafarzadeh also detailed the engineering companies behind the development of the Semnan missile site — officially labeled a satellite launch facility — which has undergone extensive expansion. 

“We know the name of the engineering company that has been involved in developing, especially the underground facility,” he said. “It’s called Shams Omran Engineering Company.”

National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) press conference in Washington, DC.

Further, he identified SPND’s Geophysics Group as the key force behind Semnan’s underground nuclear tests, explaining that they focus on “high explosive detonation measurements related to that and it’s a key part of the development of nuclear weapons.”

Research at this site focuses on the liquid-fuel Simorgh missile, a North Korean-based design with a range of over 1,860 miles, with a key underground facility in the northeastern section.

Iran’s Strategy: Stalling and Deception

Citing an internal regime memo, Jafarzadeh revealed Iran’s plan to delay diplomatic negotiations to run out the clock on UN restrictions.

“The regime is trying to buy time through negotiating with European countries and even indirectly with the US government — aiming to maintain the current status quo to complete its weapons program,” he said. 

“In this same memo, the regime expresses concern about the possible activation of the snapback mechanism and plans to sustain the current situation for six months, after which the sunset clause in the UN Security Resolution 2231 would render it moot,” he added.

U.S. Response to Iran’s Threats

During the press conference, Breitbart News asked about Iran’s threat to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and what the new U.S. administration should do given Iran’s progress toward a nuclear bomb.

Jafarzadeh responded:

We want to see an end to the nuclear weapons program of the Iran regime, because there’s nothing patriotic about it. It’s actually an anti-patriotic counter to the interests of the people of Iran. It actually helps the regime ensure their continued rule and staying in power, and that’s why we’ve been involved in exposing all of the information which we have done.

He also warned against repeating past mistakes, stating, “You don’t want to make that mistake that the outside world made in 2002 when we first revealed Natanz; You don’t want to make the mistake of 2015 with the [Obama-era nuclear deal].”

Jafarzadeh emphasized that any U.S. policy must aim for the total dismantling of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

“None of these sites that they have are justified under any circumstances,” he stated. “There’s no reason for the Iran regime to have any of these things.” 

“You know when the nuclear weapons program of Libya was dismantled, there was no justification for it,” he added. “The outside pressure eventually dismantled the program; the same situation with South Africa.”

He emphasized that Iran’s nuclear ambitions cannot be stopped while the regime remains in power.

“If that’s the case, then honestly speaking, there’s only one sure way left to end that — and that’s ending the rule of the Ayatollah,” he stated.

Recommendations to the International Community

NCRI urged immediate action, outlining a three-step plan:

1. Reinstate UN Security Council resolutions and activate the snapback mechanism to prevent Iran from expanding its nuclear program.
2. Shut down all nuclear-related sites and grant the IAEA unrestricted access to both declared and undeclared facilities.
3. Enforce severe consequences for violations, as diplomatic overtures without accountability only embolden Tehran.

With nuclear restrictions set to expire in six months, the NCRI’s revelations indicate that Iran is closer than ever to achieving nuclear weapons capability.

Jafarzadeh concluded that the international community must “have a fresh look and craft an entirely new policy” to effectively confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions and prevent further deception by the regime.

The NCRI, which has been instrumental in exposing Iran’s clandestine nuclear activities for over two decades, first revealed the Natanz uranium enrichment site in 2002, leading to international inspections. The latest revelations underscore the urgent need for the international community to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons and address its longstanding policy of denial and deception.

In December, the NCRI revealed that the Iranian regime “intensified” its secretive development of nuclear detonators at covert facilities, citing intelligence that exposed alarming advancements in weaponization technologies. 

The group then issued a stark warning, revealing the Islamic regime’s escalated efforts to advance nuclear weapon technologies, including significant developments at the METFAZ facility, a critical division of the Organization for Advanced Defense Research (SPND).

On Sunday, Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile during a Tehran ceremony attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian, claiming it can travel over one thousand miles.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.