Former Israeli spy chief says Mossad 'toured Iran’s Fordow nuclear site

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen revealed Tuesday that the Israeli intelligence agency had gained extensive knowledge of Fordow, one of Iran’s main nuclear facilities, saying that Mossad personnel had “toured” the site many times.

“We toured the Fordo nuclear site many times in order to understand the site,” Cohen stated at the Galilee Conference. He did not elaborate on whether he was referring to remote monitoring or whether Mossad agents had physically entered the covert underground facility.

Cohen also strongly praised the U.S. bombing of Fordow during Operation Midnight Hammer, which severely damaged the facility.

"Its bombing by the Americans is the fulfillment of all my dreams," Cohen emphasized.

The U.S. strikes, along with Israeli attacks during the 12-Day War in June 2025, known in Israel as Operation Rising Lion, severely damaged Iran’s three main nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the department assess that,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated at the time.

The Iranian regime’s Atomic Energy Organization, however, sought to downplay the extent of the damage, claiming it was “limited.”

“Limited damage was caused to several areas at the Fordow enrichment site, and we had already removed a significant portion of the equipment and materials. Therefore, there was no extensive damage, and there are no concerns about contamination,” claimed Behrouz Kamalvandi, the deputy head and spokesman of Tehran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

Cohen also addressed reports that Iran is approaching the nuclear weapons threshold, assessing Tuesday that “uranium enriched to 60% is still far from a bomb.”

That assessment differs from that of U.S. nuclear expert David Albright, who has previously assessed that 60% enriched uranium could potentially be enriched to weapons-grade within a matter of weeks or even days.

Israeli officials have also been divided over the extent of the damage to Fordow. Some Israeli experts reportedly told the Jerusalem Post that the facility was destroyed, while others have argued that more evidence is needed before drawing such a conclusion.

The Iranian regime has similarly disputed the extent of damage to Natanz. Kamalvandi argued that the U.S. and Israeli strikes primarily damaged the above-ground portions of the facility, while claiming that its underground facilities sustained only limited damage.

The senior Iranian regime official vowed that wherever damage was caused to Tehran’s nuclear program, “we will rebuild them in a much better way.”

Meanwhile, it was reported last month that the Iranian regime had begun moving nuclear centrifuges to Pickaxe, a covert, heavily fortified underground facility located deep inside Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz.

Tehran’s reported goal is to protect the remaining core of its nuclear program from potential future U.S. or Israeli airstrikes.

U.S. President Donald Trump has previously warned that the United States could strike the Pickaxe facility.

“Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door,” Trump revealed in an interview with talk show host Hugh Hewitt.

The Iranian ayatollah regime has repeatedly denied seeking to develop nuclear weapons, claiming that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful civilian purposes. Western intelligence agencies, however, dispute Tehran’s claims.

Iran has also insisted on enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, despite the lack of civilian applications for such enrichment, while placing significant portions of its nuclear program in heavily fortified underground facilities.

The Iranian ayatollah regime, which chants “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” has also openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state.