Foundation for Defense of Democracy CEO Mark Dubowitz joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss Iran's weapons capability and Israel's defense system.

Beneath the rugged face of Mount Alvand near the religious city of Qom lies the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant—an underground stronghold and centerpiece of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Though presented as a civilian facility, Fordow is widely believed by Israeli intelligence to be the probable heart of Tehran’s covert atomic weapons effort.

For years, the Islamic Republic has played a dangerous game—enriching uranium just below weapons-grade, obstructing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight, and using regional instability as a shield for its ambitions. While Israel has confronted nuclear threats before, it lacks the bunker-busting capability to neutralize Fordow. That responsibility now falls to the United States. The case for destroying Fordow is not only strong—it is urgent.

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES

Fordow: The Core of Iran’s Nuclear Calculus

Iran’s nuclear infrastructure includes various sites: Natanz, which is more exposed; Arak, partly repurposed; and Esfahan and Parchin, both key research locations. But Fordow stands apart. It is buried under nearly 80 meters of rock and hosts advanced IR-6 centrifuges capable of enriching uranium at accelerated rates. The site is engineered to survive conventional airstrikes and represents Iran’s strategic bet on invulnerability.

ONLY THE US MILITARY CAN TAKE OUT IRAN’S ‘MOST DANGEROUS’ NUCLEAR SITE

Western intelligence exposed Fordow in 2009 after years of concealment. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Iran’s leaders "have backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a nuclear weapons program," and cautioned, "if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year. It could be within a few months, less than a year." While he told Business Insider that Israel’s strike hit "the core of Iran’s nuclear weaponization infrastructure," he acknowledged that Israel "lacks the heavy bunker-busting munitions" needed to destroy sites like Fordow.

Fordow is not just another enrichment site—it is a fortified monument to Iran’s deception and determination. The United States alone........

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