01/04/2026
Share:
01/04/2026
Share:
TEL AVIV / TEHRAN (AP), Apr 1: Israel said early Wednesday it carried out an airstrike on a facility in Iran it alleges was supplying fentanyl for use in a potential chemical weapons program, a claim strongly denied by Tehran.
According to Israeli officials, the strike targeted the Tofigh Daru pharmaceutical factory in Tehran on Tuesday. Iran acknowledged the attack but insisted the facility produces legitimate medical supplies used in hospitals.
Abbas Araghchi condemned the strike, posting an image of the damaged site on X and accusing Israel of “openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid widely used in hospitals for severe pain management, can be lethal in very small doses. Both Israel and the United States have previously alleged that Iran has explored the drug’s potential use in weapons.
Israel claimed the factory supplied fentanyl to SPND, a Tehran-based research institute long scrutinized by Washington. The U.S. has alleged that SPND has conducted research with potential applications in nuclear and other advanced weapons development.
U.S. officials have also cited past Iranian academic studies examining the use of fentanyl-like agents, including references to their reported deployment by Russian forces during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis.
Iran has rejected the allegations, maintaining that its pharmaceutical industry serves strictly civilian and medical purposes.
