Iran has moved its remaining top nuclear scientists into secure hiding following a series of Israeli airstrikes during a 12-day conflict in June that reportedly killed at least 14 key figures in its nuclear program, according to a report by The Telegraph.
More than 15 surviving scientists have been relocated from their homes and academic institutions to undisclosed secure locations, either in Tehran or along the country’s northern coast, a senior Iranian official told the outlet.
The strikes — part of what Israel claims is a campaign to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions — targeted scientists allegedly involved in uranium enrichment efforts. Among the dead were prominent figures such as Fereidoun Abbasi, a former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
Israeli intelligence officials have warned that any remaining nuclear experts involved in the weapons program may already be marked. “Those who are left will be at the forefront of any Iranian attempt to reach a nuclear bomb, hence they will automatically become targets for Israel,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a former senior official in Israeli military intelligence.
According to the report, Israel has compiled a list of about 100 Iranian scientists who could become future targets.
In the wake of the attacks, Iran has reportedly removed nuclear-linked professors from universities, replacing them with staff unaffiliated with the program. Several universities linked to the nuclear program were also damaged during Israeli airstrikes.
The security crackdown intensified further with the execution of Rouzbeh Vadi, a reactor engineer accused of spying for Israel and aiding the attacks on his colleagues. Iran has since launched a nationwide counter-intelligence effort, detaining hundreds of individuals and deporting over a million Afghan refugees, labeling many as potential Israeli spies.
The developments signal a serious escalation in the covert war between Iran and Israel over Tehran’s nuclear program — a conflict increasingly fought not only in labs and bunkers but also in classrooms and city streets.
