Iran has placed defense systems around its nuclear sites on high alert as fears grow of a potential attack by Israel with US support, The Telegraph has learned. According to information obtained by The Telegraph, the Islamic Republic has also strengthened defenses around key nuclear and missile facilities, including deploying additional air defense system launchers.
Two high-level government sources told The Telegraph that these measures come in response to increasing concerns about joint military action from Israel and the United States. The heightened security follows warnings from US intelligence to both the Biden and Trump administrations that Israel would likely target Iranian nuclear sites this year.
"They [Iranian authorities] are just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert – even in sites that no one knows about," one source revealed to The Telegraph. "Work to fortify nuclear sites has been ongoing for years but it has intensified over the past year, particularly since Israel launched the first attack," the source added.
The tensions follow a series of escalations between the two nations since the war in Gaza began in 2023. In October 2024, Iran launched an unprecedented strike involving 200 missiles on Israel, which retaliated with airstrikes. Iranian officials now fear that with President Donald Trump's support for Israel to target Iran's nuclear facilities, an attack may be imminent.
An Iranian official acknowledged to The Telegraph that their defense capabilities may not withstand a large-scale assault, particularly after being weakened by previous Israeli strikes. "Several additional [air defense system] launchers have been deployed, but there is an understanding that they may not be effective in the event of a large-scale strike," the official stated.
The Islamic Republic has domestically developed air defense systems and possesses Russian S-300s to protect its nuclear sites. However, these systems are not considered robust enough to defend against Israel's cutting-edge weapons, prompting Iran to pressure Russia to expedite delivery of more advanced S-400 missile systems.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace force commander, announced recently week that Iran was developing a ballistic missile defense system to counter potential Israeli attacks. "Regarding anti-ballistic systems, in recent events, we suffered damage in this area, which shows a deficiency in the country's ballistic defense sector," Hajizadeh said.
He revealed that in meetings with Hossein Salami and Mohammad Bagheri, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's primary concern was always the status of these defense systems. "In every meeting that I, along with [IRGC] commander Salami and commander Bagheri, had with the supreme leader, his first question was always: 'What happened? Where does it stand?'" Hajizadeh explained.
The IRGC commander stated that the new defense system would be operational by March, equipping Tehran and several major cities with anti-ballistic capabilities. He also noted Iran's missile production capabilities: "Currently, we are capable of producing missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers and have no technical limitations in this regard. If there is a threat from the United States, we can strike nearby targets with low-cost missiles."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently declared that with Trump's support, his government would "finish the job" with Iran. Analysts believe Israel would likely need US assistance to effectively destroy Iran's nuclear program, as Israeli warplanes would need to travel over 1,500 kilometers to reach Iranian targets, requiring mid-air refueling over potentially hostile territory while facing air defenses.
The situation has become more complex as Israel has achieved victories over Iran's proxy networks such as Hamas and Hezbollah, while Bashar al-Assad, Tehran's main ally, has lost influence. These regional setbacks have weakened the Iranian regime and fueled domestic dissent.
These developments have left Iran vulnerable to Trump's renewed "maximum pressure" campaign, which aims to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons by driving its oil exports to zero. Iranian officials told The Telegraph there are now fears in Tehran that "the US could join in and launch a larger-scale attack that could put the Islamic Republic's existence in danger."
Michael Waltz, the US national security adviser, recently stated that "all options are on the table" regarding Iran. "They [Iran] are an irrational actor that we cannot allow to have their finger on the button," he added. Waltz indicated that Trump was willing "to talk to Iran" only if they abandoned "the entire [nuclear] program and not play games as we've seen Iran do in the past."
