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Iran Quietly Expanding Nuclear Program to Build Weapons Under ‘Kavir Plan’ Codename, Dissident Group Says
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the Iranian centrifuges in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2023. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran has been expanding its nuclear program to build weapons under the direct oversight of its so-called “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a coalition of Iranian opposition groups revealed on Tuesday.
At an event in Washington, DC, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which seeks to overthrow the country’s Islamist regime, unveiled explosive new intelligence alleging that Tehran has been working to build nuclear weapons while telling the world its expanding nuclear program is only meant for peaceful civilian uses.
The revelations, sourced from the NCRI’s network of dissidents inside Iran, suggest a sophisticated operation named “Kavir Plan” has intensified over the past 15 years with the aim of developing boosted nuclear warheads for ballistic missiles with ranges exceeding 3,000 kilometers.
The disclosure came one day after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, warned that Iran’s continued accumulation of highly enriched uranium nearing weapons-grade levels poses a serious concern that cannot be ignored.
“Uranium enrichment per se is not a forbidden activity, which is something my Iranian counterparts always tell me,” IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said at a press conference following the agency’s Board of Governors opening meeting in Vienna on Monday.
“At the same time, when you accumulate and continue to accumulate, and you are the only country in the world doing this at a level very, very close to what is needed for a nuclear explosive device, then we cannot ignore it,” Grossi continued. “There is no medical or civilian use for it. That is why it is important for us.”
The IAEA’s latest report to its 35-nation Board of Governors on the Iranian nuclear program, dated May 31, disclosed that Iran carried out secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the IAEA at three locations that have long been under investigation. It also found that Iran has previously conducted multiple implosion tests — a crucial military capability for developing an atomic bomb.
A separate IAEA report sent to member states the same day said Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent of weapons grade, had skyrocketed in recent months. According to an analysis of the report’s finding by the Institue for Science and International Security, if Iran chooses to “break out” toward a bomb, it has enough highly enriched uranium at two of its main facilities, Fordow and Natanz, “for 11 nuclear weapons in the first month, enough for 15 nuclear weapons by the end of the second month, 19 by the end of the third month, 21 by the end of the fourth month, and 22 by the end of the fifth month.”
Meanwhile, the US and Iran have been conducting nuclear talks over the past several weeks. Diplomatic efforts have yet to yield results as both adversaries clash over multiple issues including Iran’s demand to maintain its domestic uranium enrichment program — a condition that US President Donald Trump has publicly rejected.
Iran’s nuclear program, according to the NCRI, has consistently aimed at building nuclear weapons, with the regime shifting tactics to adopt a more covert structure that allows the leadership to conceal its activities following the exposure of its weapons program about two decades ago.
The Kavir Plan is now the focal point of the regime’s nuclear activities, the NCRI argued on Tuesday. Headquartered at the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) in Tehran, the program allegedly maintains a constellation of secret sites throughout Iran. These include warhead development facilities at the Shahroud and Semnan sites, the Ivanaki research site, underground test operations in Sorkheh Hesar, and explosives testing at Parchin. Intelligence also points to renewed activity at the Sanjarian site, where engineers are said to be developing shock wave generators required for simultaneous detonation in nuclear weapons.
A central point of the plan is Semnan Province in northern Iran, where accoridng to the NCRI the Iranian military has implemented a security regime dividing the region into three zones: Red, Yellow, and Blue. The Red Zone, encompassing 9 percent of the province, is entirely off-limits to civilians and houses key military installations. The Yellow Zone, which makes up 27 percent, is used for missile testing and is a no-fly area requiring special permits for entry. The remaining Blue Zone, while technically open to civilians, includes extensive environmental protection areas under strict surveillance.
Within these restricted areas, the NCRI identified several important installations believed to be part of the Kavir Plan. These include the Rangin-Kaman site at Ivanaki, the Ghadir radar site for missile defense, and the Me’raj-1 complex in central Semnan, allegedly involved in arming the Simorgh missile with a nuclear warhead. Also of note are the Imam Reza Training Center at the Shahroud Missile Site, the Semnan Air Defense Complex, and logistics and missile defense facilities in Damghan and Shahroud. All these sites are under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an Iranian military force and internationally designated terrorist organization, or the Ministry of Defense.
To guard these assets, the NCRI explained, Tehran has put in place a complex counter-intelligence framework. A security unit known as the Kavir Security Unit, along with the IRGC’s Sahib al-Zaman Intelligence Base, oversees the region. Drone surveillance equipped with facial recognition cameras, satellite tracking, and map redactions are just some of the methods reportedly used to monitor and restrict access. Foreign nationals, especially Americans and Europeans visiting for scientific or environmental purposes, are frequently arrested or interrogated.
The NCRI argued that the Iranian government has engaged in a pattern of deception. According to the group, Tehran has never voluntarily revealed nuclear activities to the IAEA. Instead, information became public knowledge through whistleblowers, satellite imagery, or NCRI disclosures. The group accused the regime of a long-standing strategy of concealment, delay, and destruction of evidence.
The dissident organization argued that the recent escalation in nuclear activity stems from increased domestic repression, pointing to over 1,300 executions since Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in August 2024. They added that the regime, facing its most fragile political moment in decades, is increasingly reliant on nuclear weapons as a form of political and military insurance.
Calling for a stronger international response, the NCRI urged global powers to immediately invoke the so-called “snapback” mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and several countries to reimpose UN sanctions on the regime before the relevant resolution expires in October. The dissident group also called for the permanent dismantling of Iran’s uranium enrichment programs, the elimination of Iran’s missile capabilities, and unrestricted IAEA inspections across all military and civilian facilities.
NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi, who testified before the US Congress earlier this year, reiterated her call on Tuesday for the international community to recognize the Iranian people’s right to resist the regime. She emphasized that regime change does not require foreign military intervention, only political support for the Iranian opposition.
“A democratic, non-nuclear Republic of Iran is not only possible; it is within reach,” Rajavi told lawmakers.
The post Iran Quietly Expanding Nuclear Program to Build Weapons Under ‘Kavir Plan’ Codename, Dissident Group Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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French Officials Replant Olive Trees to Honor Murdered Jew Ilan Halimi After Vandalized Memorial
A crowd gathers at the Jardin Ilan Halimi in Paris on Feb. 14, 2021, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Halimi’s kidnapping and murder. Photo: Reuters/Xose Bouzas/Hans Lucas
More than a month and a half after the olive tree planted to honor Ilan Halimi was vandalized and cut down, French authorities are continuing efforts to replant olive trees in memory of the young Jewish man who was brutally tortured to death in 2006.
On Tuesday, local officials unveiled a commemorative plaque in the garden of Paris City Hall and planted a new tree to honor Halimi’s memory.
“This tree is a symbol of life,” said Ariel Weil, mayor of Paris Centre. “Next year will mark the tragic 20th anniversary of Ilan Halimi’s murder.”
“At the time, he was barely a young man. At 23, full of passion and the energy of youth, he pursued the promise of love — but met a tragic death instead,” Weil continued. “With this tree, however, it is Ilan Halimi’s life that is being planted in our garden.”
Last week, the southern French town of Pollestres also planted a new olive tree in honor of Halimi, calling it “a symbol of peace and remembrance” and a stand against hatred and antisemitism.
“We aim to promote values against barbarism, racism, and antisemitism, and I must say that right now, there is a climate of hatred between communities,” said Jean-Charles Moriconi, the town’s mayor.
“I believe that to unite everyone, we need gestures like this — proof that when something is torn down or destroyed, it will be replanted,” he continued.
Last month, French authorities planted the first olive tree in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris in the Île-de-France region, two weeks after Halimi’s previous memorial was vandalized.
Hervé Chevreau, mayor of the northern Paris suburb Épinay, announced that several olive trees will be replanted in Halimi’s memory, praising “a remarkable outpouring of solidarity” reflected in the donations.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) — the main representative body of French Jews — praised these gestures as a powerful symbol of “the deep roots of the Jewish people in the [French Republic], and in the history of France,” saying that “no one will be able to uproot them.”
Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured in January 2006 by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.
Three weeks later, he was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.
In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. In August, the memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in Epinay-sur-Seine.
Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne.
Shortly after this latest attack, two 19-year-old Tunisian twin brothers, undocumented and with prior convictions for theft and violence, were arrested for allegedly vandalizing and cutting down Halimi’s memorial.
Both brothers appeared in criminal court and were remanded in custody pending their trial, scheduled for Oct. 22.
They will face trial on charges of “aggravated destruction of property” and “desecration of a monument dedicated to the memory of the dead on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion,” offenses that, according to prosecutors, carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.
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Israel Diverts Gaza Flotilla Ships, Says ‘Greta Thunberg Safe’
Sailing boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, sail off Koufonisi islet, Greece, Sept. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stefanos Rapanis
Several vessels of the international flotilla heading to Gaza have been stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate campaigner, and her friends are “safe and healthy,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X alongside a video that appeared to show Thunberg and several masked and armed Israeli military personnel.
The flotilla’s organizers said that Israeli military personnel intercepted and boarded the ships, which aim to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza — the Palestinian enclave that has been ruled by the terrorist group Hamas for nearly two decades — and deliver some aid there.
Some 20 vessels were seen approaching the flotilla earlier on Wednesday night, multiple people on board said, as passengers put on life vests and braced for a takeover.
“Multiple vessels … were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” the organizers said in a statement. “We are diligently working to account for all participants and crew.”
It said that its communications were jammed before boarding began, which interfered with cameras that were providing live streams from various boats and communications between vessels.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists including Thunberg, is trying to break Israel‘s blockade despite repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.
It is about 70 nautical miles off the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.
A live video feed from one of the boats in the flotilla showed passengers in life vests sitting on deck.
It is not clear how many of the boats had been intercepted or stopped. Some passengers said their vessels continued to advance.
Organizers remained defiant, saying in the statement that the flotilla “will continue undeterred.”
The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment about intercepting the vessels.
Its foreign ministry earlier said the navy had warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked them to change course.
The ministry said that it reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.
TRYING TO BREAK THE BLOCKADE
The flotilla is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel‘s blockade of Gaza.
The flotilla had been hoping to arrive in Gaza on Thursday morning if it was not intercepted.
This was the second time the flotilla was approached on Wednesday. Before dawn, the mission’s organizers said two Israeli “warships” had approached fast and encircled two of the flotilla’s boats. All navigation and communication devices went down in what one organizer on board described as a “cyber attack.”
A video post on the flotilla’s Instagram page showed the silhouette of what appeared to be a military vessel with a gun turret near the civilian boats.
Reuters confirmed that the video was filmed from the flotilla, but could not confirm the identity of the other vessel in the video or when the video was taken.
Last week members of the flotilla claimed the mission was attacked by drones, which reportedly dropped stun grenades and itching powder on the vessels, causing damage but no injuries.
Israel did not comment on that attack, but has said it will use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its naval blockade is legal as it battles Hamas terrorists in the coastal enclave.
Italy and Spain deployed naval ships to help with any rescue or humanitarian needs but stopped following the flotilla once it got within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza for safety reasons. Turkish drones have also followed the boats.
Italy and Greece on Wednesday jointly called on Israel not to hurt the activists aboard and called on the flotilla to hand over its aid to the Catholic Church for indirect delivery to Gaza – a plea the flotilla has previously rejected.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt.
“This systematic refusal [to hand over the aid] demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative. They are not seeking to help, they are seeking an incident,” Jonathan Peled, the Israeli ambassador to Italy, said in a post on X.
PAST ATTEMPTS TO DELIVER AID
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.
In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.
In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organized by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.
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FBI Cuts Ties With Anti-Defamation League, FBI Director Says
FBI Director Kash Patel attends the signing of an executive order by US President Donald Trump on a deal that would divest TikTok’s US operations from ByteDance from its Chinese owner ByteDance, at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Sept. 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The FBI said on Wednesday it had cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish group that tracks antisemitism, after Republicans criticized the group for including slain activist Charlie Kirk’s organization in a glossary on extremism.
In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau “won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.”
The ADL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear what sort of ties the FBI had with the ADL.
Patel’s announcement followed criticism of the ADL by right-wing activists and leaders, including billionaire Elon Musk, over its inclusion of Kirk’s Turning Point USA in a “Glossary of Extremism and Hate” on its website. Kirk was assassinated on a college campus in September.
After that criticism, the ADL removed the entire glossary from its website. The glossary had said that Turning Point USA had a history of “bigoted statements,” a charge the group rejects.