New satellite imagery shows ongoing activity at Iran's Fordow nuclear complex after US airstrikes
Recent satellite imagery has revealed ongoing activity and fresh evidence of significant damage to tunnels and access roads at Iran's underground Fordow uranium enrichment site caused by last week's airstrikes.
The facility was targeted by Israeli forces on June 23, one day after the U.S. carried out strikes using bunker-buster bombs.
The new high-resolution satellite imagery, collected by Maxar Technologies, shows an excavator and several personnel positioned immediately next to the northern shaft on the ridge above the underground complex.
The crane also appears to be operating at the entrance to the shaft, where several additional vehicles are seen below the ridge, parked along the access path that was built to access the site.
Maxar's photos also reveal the complete destruction of a facility north of the site, surrounded by more craters and scattered dust. One more crater and visible burn marks are seen on a western access route.
Analysts believe the primary goal of the strikes was to hinder access to the sites and complicate repair efforts.
Both the United States and Israel have stated that these military actions were aimed at hindering Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has rejected these accusations, maintaining that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
The Fordow site, which is buried within a mountain near Qom, about 60 miles southwest of Tehran, was bombed by the U.S. on June 22, resulting in six prominent craters and a noticeable spread of grey debris, according to satellite photos.
On the following day, Israel confirmed it had conducted a second strike on Fordow, specifically targeting the roads leading to the facility.
Iranian officials later acknowledged this attack.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a Pentagon briefing last Sunday that while all three Iranian nuclear sites targeted in the strike "sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," the full damage would take time to assess.
The latest strike on Fordow comes as the Israel Defense Forces said Israel also launched a series of strikes targeting the notorious Evin prison and several Iranian military command centers in an "ongoing effort to degrade the Iranian regime's military capabilities."
Originally published as New satellite imagery shows ongoing activity at Iran's Fordow nuclear complex after US airstrikes
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The newspaper said that, should Grossi enter Iran, he should be tried and sentenced to death. Iranian officials have not publicly endorsed the newspaper article. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said there was no threat against Grossi. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Grossi was not currently welcome in Iran, accusing him of having carried out "malign action" and playing a "regrettable role" that had led to Iran's parliament voting to suspend co-operation with the IAEA. Iranian officials have long blamed the agency for providing justification used by Israel for its 12-day campaign of airstrikes against Iran, which began on June 13, a day after the nuclear watchdog's board declared Iran in violation of treaty obligations. "Misleading narratives have dire consequences, Mr Grossi, and demand accountability," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on June 19. On Monday, Baghaei said it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were hit by Israeli and US strikes in the 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire last week. "How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" he told a news conference. Baghaei said the parliamentary bill calling for the government to withdraw co-operation with the IAEA had been approved by the Guardian Council, a security body controlled by appointees of the supreme leader, and carrying it out was now mandatory. "Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," Baghaei said. Britain, France and Germany have condemned what they describe as threats against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and called on Iran to guarantee the safety of agency staff. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a joint statement issued by the foreign affairs ministries of those three countries. "We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease co-operation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full co-operation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added. The three European countries are parties to a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. Their joint statement did not specify what threats had been made against Grossi, but it follows an article in Iran's Kayhan newspaper, known for hardline views and closely associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which accused Grossi of having ties to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. The newspaper said that, should Grossi enter Iran, he should be tried and sentenced to death. Iranian officials have not publicly endorsed the newspaper article. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said there was no threat against Grossi. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Grossi was not currently welcome in Iran, accusing him of having carried out "malign action" and playing a "regrettable role" that had led to Iran's parliament voting to suspend co-operation with the IAEA. Iranian officials have long blamed the agency for providing justification used by Israel for its 12-day campaign of airstrikes against Iran, which began on June 13, a day after the nuclear watchdog's board declared Iran in violation of treaty obligations. "Misleading narratives have dire consequences, Mr Grossi, and demand accountability," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on June 19. On Monday, Baghaei said it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were hit by Israeli and US strikes in the 12-day war that ended with a ceasefire last week. "How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" he told a news conference. Baghaei said the parliamentary bill calling for the government to withdraw co-operation with the IAEA had been approved by the Guardian Council, a security body controlled by appointees of the supreme leader, and carrying it out was now mandatory. "Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," Baghaei said.
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"We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease co-operation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full co-operation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added.
