What is Karaj?: Karaj is Iran's fourth-largest city, located 40 km west of Tehran in Alborz Province, with a population of around 1.97 million. It is both an industrial hub and the site of Iran's TESA/TABA Centrifuge Manufacturing Complex, destroyed by Israeli strikes in June 2025.Source: Lowdown
Was the Karaj centrifuge facility destroyed?: Yes. Israeli strikes in June 2025 demolished both main manufacturing buildings of the TESA/TABA complex in Karaj. Satellite imagery confirmed total destruction with no cleanup or reconstruction visible as of March 2026.Source: Lowdown
Has Karaj been bombed in the 2026 Iran-Israel war?: Yes. On 23 March 2026, Israel struck Karaj alongside Tehran, Isfahan, and Ahvaz in what Al Jazeera's correspondent called 'unprecedented in size and volume.' Earlier strikes targeted the Tehran-Karaj fuel depot corridor, causing toxic black rain and civilian supply shortages.Source: Al Jazeera
How far is Karaj from Tehran?: Karaj is approximately 40 km west of Tehran, connected by motorway and metro. The two cities share infrastructure and supply chains, meaning wartime disruptions in Tehran directly affect Karaj residents.Source: Lowdown
What is the difference between Karaj and Tehran in the Iran war?: Karaj is a separate city but functions as a western extension of Tehran. It housed Iran's centrifuge manufacturing complex, making it a higher-value nuclear target than most of Tehran's residential districts, while sharing the capital's civilian supply crises.Source: Lowdown

Background

Karaj, capital of Alborz Province, sits 40 km west of Tehran on the edge of the Alborz mountain range. With a population of roughly 1.97 million, it is Iran's fourth-largest city and functions as an industrial and residential extension of the capital, linked by motorway and metro.

The city's nuclear significance rested on the TESA/TABA Karaj Centrifuge Manufacturing Complex, which produced components for Iran's uranium enrichment programme and operated under IAEA monitoring within the JCPOA framework. Israeli strikes in June 2025 demolished both main manufacturing buildings; satellite imagery confirmed the site remains destroyed with no visible reconstruction. In March 2026, Karaj was struck again alongside Tehran in what Al Jazeera's correspondent described as "unprecedented in size and volume."

The city's proximity to Tehran means Karaj shares the capital's wartime crises. Toxic black rain from 30 Israeli-struck fuel depots fell across the Tehran-Karaj corridor, with the Iranian Red Crescent warning of chemical burns and lung damage. Supply chains collapsed simultaneously: supermarkets ran out of bread, water, and fuel as queues stretched into surrounding streets.

How the World Sees Them

IAEA

The agency monitored the Karaj complex under JCPOA commitments; its destruction removed a key verification site. Ongoing strikes make any renewed inspection regime practically impossible.

Iran

Karaj's centrifuge workshops were central to Iran's sovereign enrichment programme, framed as a peaceful right. Their destruction represents a material blow to any prospect of rapid nuclear reconstitution.

Israel

Karaj's centrifuge complex was a primary target in Israel's campaign to eliminate Iran's nuclear production capacity. Satellite confirmation of total destruction in June 2025 was treated as a strategic milestone justifying continued strikes.

United States

US targeting priorities focused on nuclear infrastructure, with Karaj's centrifuge complex among the highest-value sites. Post-strike imagery confirmed the facility's elimination aligned with US-Israeli campaign objectives.