Satellite Images Reveal New Activity at Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site Following U.S.-Israel Airstrikes

Reported by Kokcha News Agency:
New satellite images from Maxar Technologies reveal that Iran is building a new access road to its Fordow uranium enrichment facility, located in a mountain near Qom. The images also show the presence of excavators and mobile cranes, suggesting that Tehran is assessing the damage caused by last month’s U.S. airstrikes on the underground nuclear site.

Assessing the Damage
The Science and International Security Institute (ISIS), a think tank that monitors Iran’s nuclear program, reported that the excavators are likely preparing to send cameras or personnel down the holes created by U.S. bombs to inspect the damage to the underground facility.

U.S. “Bunker Buster” Bombs
The Trump administration has claimed that the Fordow facility was “completely destroyed” during the June 22 airstrikes, which involved 12 massive “bunker buster” bombs. These 30-ton weapons were designed to penetrate the mountain before detonating underground, leaving visible craters in satellite images.

Debris Removal
ISIS noted that there has been no visible activity at the entrances to Fordow’s tunnels, but the satellite images show several dump trucks, likely used to remove debris from the site.

Unanswered Questions
Several questions remain unanswered following the U.S. operation, codenamed “Midnight Hammer.” It is unclear whether Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium was destroyed. Additionally, there is debate over how long it would take Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon if it chose to do so.

Iran has claimed that the uranium was moved to other locations before the U.S. bombardment. Analysts believe that Iran may have stored much of its uranium stockpile underground to protect it from similar attacks, closing off some tunnel entrances at the Isfahan facility.

IAEA Access Denied
In a recent move, the Iranian government banned the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and his technical team from entering Iran. Tehran also rejected the installation of surveillance cameras at its nuclear facilities, signaling that its operations will continue without transparency.

Expert Analysis
Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, highlighted in a Foreign Affairs article that it remains unknown whether Iran still possesses centrifuges capable of enriching uranium for weapons purposes.