Sanjarian site

Intelligence Summary: Sanjarian Site

Node Identity: The Sanjarian site is a former Amad Plan nuclear weapons development facility located in Iran, central to developing multipoint initiation (MPI) systems for spherical implosion in nuclear weapons. The site was part of Iran's pre-2004 nuclear weapons program (Amad Plan) led by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. In September 2024, ISIS reported renewed activity at Sanjarian, indicating potential reactivation by SPND — the direct successor organization to the Amad Plan.

Strategic Relevance: The Sanjarian site is a critical node in Iran's nuclear weapons development infrastructure. MPI systems are essential components of nuclear weapons: they ensure simultaneous detonation of conventional explosive lenses around a fissile core to achieve the symmetric spherical implosion required for nuclear yield. The development and testing of MPI systems at Sanjarian during the Amad Plan represents Iran's most direct nuclear weapons component work. The reported renewed SPND activity at Sanjarian in 2024 is alarming because it suggests Iran may be bridging technical gaps in its nuclear weapons capability — potentially reconstituting the implosion system development that was halted when the Amad Plan was officially discontinued in 2004. This renewed activity occurs in the context of Iran's 60%+ enriched uranium stockpile (providing the fissile material pathway) and SPND's maintenance of weaponization knowledge. The FDD has documented the "shock wave generator" / MPI system development in detail, confirming the site's weapons-specific role.

Technical Focus / Capabilities: The Sanjarian site was designed for developing and testing multipoint initiation (MPI) systems — the simultaneous detonation network required for symmetric spherical implosion of a nuclear device. This involves precision timing of explosive detonation across multiple points, shock wave convergence modeling, and implosion symmetry verification. The site's capabilities overlap significantly with electromagnetic and plasma physics research: high-voltage systems, electromagnetic interference testing, and implosion diagnostics are common to both MPI development and electromagnetic weapons effects research.

Network Linkage: The Sanjarian site is a former Amad Plan facility with renewed SPND activity reported in 2024. It connects to the Golab Dareh site as a companion former Amad Plan facility also showing renewed SPND activity. The site's MPI development work was led by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh through the Amad Plan, with Fereidoun Abbasi Davani involved in related EMP research that served as cover for nuclear weapons development.