New Satellite Images Reveal Iran’s Swift Response to US Airstrikes on Fordow Nuclear Facility

Fresh satellite imagery has revealed ongoing activity at Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, just over a week after the site was targeted by US B-2 bombers in a major airstrike operation.

The images, captured by Maxar Technologies on Sunday, show continued construction, excavation, and damage assessment efforts around the craters formed by the recent aerial bombardment.

The Fordow facility, a heavily fortified underground site built into a mountain near the city of Qom, was among the primary targets in a recent wave of US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The air campaign, which also included precision attacks on Natanz and Isfahan, aimed to deliver a significant blow to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Activity Around Ventilation Shafts Raises Eyebrows

According to Maxar’s analysis, the latest images show an excavator and several personnel working directly adjacent to the northern ventilation shaft, which sits atop a ridge above the subterranean facility.

A large crane is also visible, positioned at the entrance of the main shaft or crater, indicating heavy equipment is being used to assess or possibly repair the damaged shaft.

Several utility vehicles and trucks are also parked along a recently cleared path that appears to have been constructed to facilitate access to the impact zone.

These signs of intensified activity suggest that Iranian authorities are actively investigating the extent of damage, possibly beginning repair operations and collecting data to evaluate the functionality of the underground complex.

 

A Coordinated Strike on Strategic Targets

Earlier this month, the United States launched a coordinated air and missile assault targeting three of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites:

• Fordow and Natanz were hit by more than a dozen bunker-buster bombs dropped from stealth B-2 bombers.

• Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a US Navy submarine struck the Isfahan nuclear site in central Iran.

According to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs used against Fordow were specifically engineered to penetrate deep into hardened underground facilities.

“Most of the bombs aimed at Fordow were designed to enter the ventilation shafts, descend rapidly at over 1,000 feet per second, and detonate within the underground complex,” he explained during a Pentagon briefing.

These shafts are considered critical components of the facility’s operation, as they regulate airflow and pressure inside the deeply buried enrichment tunnels.

Expert Analysis: Craters Open, Tunnels Still Inaccessible

David Albright, a former nuclear inspector and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, has been closely monitoring the site using satellite data. According to Albright, images taken on Saturday showed that Iranian teams are actively working at the two MOP impact points, possibly to backfill the craters, conduct engineering evaluations, and carry out radiological sampling.

“The craters above the main shafts remain open, but there is clear evidence that efforts are underway to assess and respond to the damage,” Albright posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He also noted that the main access road to the facility, which had been damaged during the strikes, has already been rapidly repaired, though there is no visible sign that Iran has attempted to reopen the main tunnel entrances into the underground site.

IAEA Challenges Trump’s Claims of Complete Destruction

Despite former President Donald Trump’s assertions that the US strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme and set it back by decades, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) offered a far more measured assessment.

Speaking on Sunday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that while the US attacks caused significant disruption, Iran retained the technical capacity to resume full-scale uranium enrichment “within a matter of months.”

This contradicts Trump’s repeated claims of having permanently dismantled Iran’s nuclear capability.

Grossi’s assessment was also echoed by preliminary findings from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), first reported by CNN.

According to the DIA, the core infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear programme remains intact, and the airstrikes are likely to have delayed but not eliminated Iran’s nuclear development capabilities.

A High-Stakes Stand-Off

The Fordow nuclear site has long been viewed as a symbol of Iran’s strategic defiance and technological prowess. Built inside a mountain to withstand aerial attacks, it has played a central role in Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.

In 2021, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity at the site, approaching weapons-grade levels. The threshold for weaponisation is 90% enrichment, though Iran insists its nuclear efforts are purely civilian.

The recent airstrikes and the subsequent Iranian response have heightened regional tensions, with global powers watching closely for any signs of escalation. While the physical damage to Fordow is evident, the geopolitical fallout—and the true extent of the setback to Iran’s nuclear programme—remains to be fully understood.

( With CNN Inputs)