Israel said on Wednesday that it had launched an attack on a pharmaceutical facility in Iran, claiming it was supplying fentanyl for use in a chemical weapons programme, something Tehran denied.Iran confirmed that the Tofig Daro factory had been bombed, but said it only produced “hospital medicines” used in medical procedures. Both sides said the strike occurred on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi shared a photo of the site on X, saying: “War criminals in Israel are now openly and shamelessly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”Fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opioid, is widely used in hospitals to treat severe pain, although small amounts can be fatal.
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In recent years, Israel and the United States have raised concerns about Iran’s exploration of using fentanyl for weapons. Washington also pointed to Iranian academic research examining Russia’s use of a fentanyl-based agent during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis.Israel said the targeted facility supplied fentanyl to a Tehran-based research organization known as SPND, which the United States alleges carried out work related to nuclear explosive devices and other weapons.