The Natanz Nuclear Facility, officially the Shahid Ahmadi Roshan Nuclear Facilities, is a key Iranian institution and a physical site for uranium enrichment located near the city of Natanz in Isfahan province, Iran. It is the central component of Iran's nuclear program, designed to produce enriched uranium for fuel or, potentially, for a nuclear weapon. Construction on the facility began in 2001, and its existence was first exposed in August 2002 by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, with Iran acknowledging it in February 2003. The facility was created to be Iran's primary site for nuclear material enrichment.
The facility operates by using thousands of gas centrifuges to enrich uranium hexafluoride ($\text{UF}_6$) gas. It comprises a Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) and a commercial-scale Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP). For protection against potential air attacks, the centrifuge halls are built 40–50 metres underground and shielded by a thick concrete layer.
Natanz is intrinsically linked to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the international nuclear agreement signed in 2015. Under the JCPOA, Natanz was designated as the only site in Iran permitted to enrich uranium for 15 years, with the enrichment level capped at 3.67% and the number of operating centrifuges limited to 5,060 IR-1 machines. The facility is subject to continuous monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The status of Natanz has changed significantly since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA. In violation of the agreement, Iran began feeding $\text{UF}_6$ into advanced IR-2m centrifuges in November 2020. Furthermore, in April 2021, Iran began enriching uranium at Natanz to 60% purity, a level far exceeding the JCPOA limit. The facility has also been the target of multiple acts of sabotage and cyber attacks, including a major incident in April 2021.