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First Post
10 hours ago
- Science
- First Post
Latest satellite images confirm Iran now expanding its Fordow site after US bombings
Signs of 'fresh earth movement,' including new access roads and clusters of crater zones are visible at the Fordow site read more Latest satellite images show Iran might be working to expand the Fordow nuclear facility days after the site was targeted by US B-2 stealth bombers. Images released by Maxar Technologies reveal that heavy machinery has been moved into the site, and signs of additional earthwork are visible. There are signs that tunnel entrances may have been deliberately sealed off before the US bombers dropped Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) on the underground site. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fordow was among the three nuclear sites that US bombers targeted overnight on June 21–22 under Operation Midnight Hammer. Now, signs of 'fresh earth movement,' including new access roads and clusters of crater zones are visible at the Fordow site. Significance The US administration has claimed that the bombings ' obliterated ' the underground facility at Fordow; however, satellite images indicate Iran may have already moved enriched uranium 'to a safe location'. An analysis by the Open Source Centre in London also suggested that visuals show that Iran may have been preparing the site for a strike. However, it is unclear exactly what, if anything, was removed from the facility. What do the new images reveal? In recent imagery, earth-moving equipment is visible near the northern tunnel complex. Bulldozers are shifting soil around a ridgeline crater, with new access paths evident. Imagery from June 19-20 showed several bulldozers and trucks near the tunnel entrance, likely part of an effort to block or reinforce access points. In the new images, the entrances appear filled with dirt, and debris from MOP impacts is noticeable in several areas. Can Iran still build a nuclear bomb? With the high probability that Iran has moved its stockpile of enriched uranium elsewhere, there are chances that the nation could build a nuclear weapon. However, Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence analyst, told The Telegraph that even if Iran had moved its uranium, it would be 'like having fuel without a car', adding: 'They have the uranium, but they can't do a lot with it unless they have built something we don't know about on a small scale.'
Newsweek
16 hours ago
- Newsweek
New Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Expanding Work at Fordow Nuclear Site
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New satellite imagery captured on Friday shows intensified construction and excavation activity at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, days after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers dropped Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) on the underground site. The latest images, captured by Maxar Technologies, reveal heavy machinery still in place, additional earthwork and signs that tunnel entrances may have been deliberately sealed off before the strikes. The Fordow site, buried inside a mountain 60 miles south of Tehran, was among three Iranian nuclear sites targeted during Operation Midnight Hammer, launched overnight on June 21–22. Based on the pictures, the facility now shows signs of "fresh earth movement," including new access roads and clusters of crater zones, particularly near key tunnel entrances. Why It Matters While initial U.S. assessments described the bombing damage as "extremely severe," the updated satellite photos suggest Iran may have acted preemptively to secure sensitive components. Iranian state media reported that nuclear sites had been evacuated and that enriched uranium was moved "to a safe location" ahead of the strikes. International observers have expressed concern about Iran's production of highly enriched uranium at Fordow, though it remains unclear how much remained at the site during the bombing. Analysts say sealing the tunnels with dirt could have shielded underground assets or served to limit post-strike assessments. What To Know In the new imagery, earth-moving equipment can be seen operating near the northern tunnel complex. Bulldozers are repositioning dirt around one of the ridgeline craters, and newly formed access paths are visible. Wide view of Fordow enrichment complex showing recent excavation patterns and a trail of disturbed soil, indicating active recovery efforts. Wide view of Fordow enrichment complex showing recent excavation patterns and a trail of disturbed soil, indicating active recovery efforts. Maxar Technologies Earlier imagery from June 19 and 20 shows multiple bulldozers and trucks positioned near the tunnel entrance. Observers now believe this was part of a coordinated effort to block or reinforce access points. The entrances appear filled with dirt, and ejecta from MOP impacts is visible in multiple locations. Close-up showing excavators near the northern entrances to Fordow's underground complex. Close-up showing excavators near the northern entrances to Fordow's underground complex. Maxar Technologies Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on NBC's Meet the Press that intelligence suggests "a lot of 60 percent enriched uranium" had been buried deep at Fordow but acknowledged uncertainty. "We have to assume" it was still there, he said. Annotated satellite view showing dirt-filled tunnel entrances at Fordow, likely sealed before Operation Midnight Hammer. Annotated satellite view showing dirt-filled tunnel entrances at Fordow, likely sealed before Operation Midnight Hammer. Maxar Technologies Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues to evaluate the mission's effectiveness. "Our initial assessment is that all of our precision munitions struck where we wanted them to strike and had the desired effect," said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. "Especially in Fordow, which was the primary target here, we believe we achieved destruction of capabilities there." New access roads and bulldozers are visible near crater zones left by U.S. MOP strikes. New access roads and bulldozers are visible near crater zones left by U.S. MOP strikes. Maxar Technologies As for the long-term status of Fordow's centrifuges, the IAEA said this week it believes they are "no longer operational," though experts say only on-site inspections or additional intelligence will reveal the true extent of the damage. For now, new imagery shows Iran actively working to either conceal or rehabilitate the site. What Happens Next Although President Trump has announced a ceasefire that has held through the week, Iranian state media and lawmakers have indicated that retaliation is still possible.
The Hindu
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
What is next for Iran's nuclear programme?
After its recent airstrikes against Iran's facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, the U.S. has been claiming it has set back the Islamic Republic's nuclear weapons ambitions by decades and nullified the country's ability to make a nuclear weapon of mass destruction (WMD). The question of whether Iran actually has nuclear weapons is important because of the U.S.'s history of attempts to force regime changes in foreign countries on the pretext of threats they pose, including with WMDs. Iran currently doesn't have a nuclear weapon — but that may not be the only important question. Doubts remain in the global arms control community over whether US bombs — including the 'bunker buster' massive ordinance penetrators (MOPs) designed to destroy subsurface structures — were able to damage subterranean enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordo and Iran's stockpile of 60% enriched uranium. The latter is of particular interest. Its existence, which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated amounted to 400 kg in May, allows Iran to enrich it further to weapons-grade uranium in a matter of days, reducing the 'breakout' time within which it can be ready with a nuclear warhead. Using high-resolution satellite data provided by private operators like Maxar, experts have spotted trucks moving in and out of the Fordo facility in the days leading up to the bombing. They have interpreted this to mean Tehran may have anticipated the bombs, including the use of MOPs, and moved fissile material and equipment away to safer locales. Indeed, Financial Times reported on June 26 that 'preliminary intelligence assessments' shared with European governments suggest Iran's 60% enriched stockpile survived the US strikes 'largely intact' and that it wasn't 'concentrated' in Fordo when the bombs fell. In posts on Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in California, among others also discussed satellite images showing signs of special tunnels where Iran may have moved its enriched stockpile for safekeeping. Thus, questions linger about the extent to which the American and Israeli bombing set Iran's nuclear weapons programme back. While estimates of the damage wrought by American bombs vary, that the Iranian nuclear programme was set back at all isn't in dispute. But as Carnegie Nuclear Policy Program co-director James Acton has contended, this is separate from the question of whether Iran can build a nuclear weapon now. It can if it has access to the 60% enriched stockpile, other enrichment facilities the world doesn't know about (the IAEA has deemed this likely), and/or the ability to operationalise new enrichment centres. If the 60% enriched stockpile persists, the nuclear option also persists. In fact Israel's actions and statements in the last month and US involvement in its war are expected to galvanise local support for the nuclear weapons programme and strengthen Tehran's resolve. With regards to the risk of proliferation as well as what former Indian Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev has called the 'geopolitical entropy' slowly unfolding in West Asia, an equal question is whether Iran has the intention to develop nuclear weapons. As things stand, Iran has amassed both the technical knowhow and the materials required to make a nuclear weapon. Second, the Israelis and the Americans have failed to deprive Iran of these resources in their latest salvo. In fact the airstrikes against Iran from June 13 cast Tehran as the victim of foreign aggression and increased the premium on its option to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) without significant international censure. Iran's parliament has also passed a resolution to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA after having accused the agency of leaking sensitive information to facilitate Israel's targeted strikes. The international community is already wary of the possibility of a proliferation cascade in the region. It is an openly acknowledged fact that Israel possesses nuclear weapons. It isn't party to the NPT either. Saudi Arabia has said it will pursue a weapon of its own if Iran has one, as might Turkey. Former US State Department members Mark Goodman and Mark Fitzpatrick have written that this situation is reminiscent of that in the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT in 2003 forced South Korea and Japan to reconsider their own options. In the right conditions, highly enriched uranium (HEU) can retain its quality for several decades. Modern equipment stores uranium in inert cladding and sealed containers devoid of any moisture, with periodic surveillance and maintenance to keep the cores within their original specifications. Even the decay heat of HEU is only around 1 mW/kg, entailing virtually no thermal or radiation damage to the surrounding components. While Tehran's refusal to cooperate with the IAEA is suggestive, it hasn't explicitly articulated that it will pursue nuclear weapons. In fact, since the 1960s until the US unilaterally pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Tehran has maintained its right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy alone. But the presence of large quantities of HEU in the stockpile is intriguing. From a purely technical standpoint, the HEU can still be diverted for non-military applications. For example it can be used in a pilot enrichment cascade to study and develop nuclear reactors for naval use. At 60% enrichment, the same fissile inventory will also fit in a third of the total mass, requiring fewer cylinders to store and transport. But these are niche use-cases. Energy- and cost-wise, enriching uranium to 60% and then down-blending it to low-enriched uranium (LEU) required to run nuclear power plants is irrational. A 60% stockpile can be blended on demand to 19.75%, 5% or 3% uranium without spinning centrifuges — but it can also be achieved by blending 20% uranium with natural or depleted feed, so there is no real advantage. Likewise, down-conversion and routine safeguards can handle large volumes easily, precluding a need to reduce the number of containers. If anything, the HEU stockpile, the technical knowhow in the country, the absence of a nuclear warhead per se, and the sympathy created by the bombing allow Tehran a perfect bargaining chip: to simultaneously be in a state of pre-breakout readiness while being able to claim in earnest that it is interested in nuclear energy for peace. What this Schrodinger's cat will look like when the box is opened is perhaps the next question.
West Australian
a day ago
- Politics
- West Australian
WATCH: Pentagon reveals test footage of bunker-buster bombs used in Iran strike
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine have described in great detail the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Mr Caine shared dramatic test footage on Thursday morning (local time) showing how 30,000-pound (13,600kg) bunker-buster bombs work, such as the ones used against Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment plant. The video showed a GBU-57 series Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) striking its target, triggering a towering cloud of dust moments before a blinding explosion illuminated the shaft during a test detonation. According to Mr Caine, the pilots who dropped the bunker-buster bombs on the site called the blast 'the brightest explosion' that 'literally looked like daylight.' The MOPs used in the attack, which can only be dropped by a B-2 stealth bomber, were manufactured in 2009 after the US learned of the existence of the Fordow site. 'Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function,' Mr Caine explained to reporters during a press briefing. 'All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.' Another angle presented during the briefing showed an MOP impacting its target in slow motion, slicing through the curved interior of a second ventilation shaft without exploding as it continued to penetrate deeper into the test facility. 'A bomb has three effects that cause damage: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure,' Mr Caine added. 'In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space were a mix of overpressure and blast.' 'Imagine what this looks like six times over.' Sharing some more detail about the strike on Fordow, Mr Caine said, 'The weapons were built, tested and loaded properly' before 'being released on speed and on parameters.' He added that, 'the weapons all guided to their intended targets and to their intended aim points,' before exploding.
Courier-Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Courier-Mail
Pentagon releases jaw-dropping footage showing how 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs work
Don't miss out on the headlines from Innovation. Followed categories will be added to My News. The Pentagon released stunning footage on Thursday showcasing exactly how 30,000-pound heavy-duty bunker-buster bombs work such as the ones used against Iran's nuclear sites demolished fortified targets deep underground. The video showed a GBU-57 series MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) crashing into a target and kicking up a massive plume of dust moments before a blinding inferno appeared in a shaft during a test detonation. A GBU-57 series Massive Ordnance Penetrator is seen crashing into a target. Picture: Department of Defense The 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs demolish fortified targets deep underground. Picture: Department of Defense Pilots who dropped the MOPs on Iran called the blast 'the brightest explosion' they ever saw, saying, 'it literally looked like daylight'. The MOPs used in the strike — which can only be dropped by a B-2 Stealth Bomber — were developed in 2009 after the US learned of the existence of the Fordow uranium enrichment plant. The bunker buster bombs do not leave craters like traditional bombs. Picture: Department of Defense A US Air Force B-2 Spirit landing after supporting Operation 'Midnight Hammer'. Picture: US Air Force/AFP 'Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won't see an impact crater because they're designed to deeply bury and then function,' Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Caine explained to reporters during a press briefing on Thursday. 'Five [weapons] were tasked to enter the main shaft moved down into the complex at greater than a thousand feet per second, and explode in the mission space … All six weapons at each vent at Fordow [uranium enrichment plant] went exactly where they were intended to go.' Another angle displayed during the briefing showed an MOP hitting a target in slow motion and cutting through the arched interior of a second ventilation shaft without detonating as it moved its way deeper through the test facility. 'A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation and overpressure,' he explained. 'In this case, the primary kill mechanisms in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast. 'Imagine what this looks like six times over.' Unidentified pilots inside a B-2 cockpit. Picture: US Air Force How the US bomber pilots reacted Lt. Gen. Caine explained that the heroic pilots who helped drop the bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities in a super-secret mission over the weekend were awed by the explosive power of the devices. 'We know that the trailing jets saw the first weapons function and the pilots stated, 'This was the brightest explosion that I've ever seen. It literally looked like daylight,'' he said. He also emphasised that the MOPs don't leave 'impact' craters — shooting down scepticism that the mission wasn't successful. Satellite images released after the mission show six holes where the deep-diving bombs appeared to have penetrated the mountain above Iran's Fordow nuclear plant. The press conference was seemingly intended to disabuse reporting on a leaked 'low confidence' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment that Iran's nuclear program may have only been set back months, Lt. Gen. Caine played jaw-dropping footage of a MOP attack. A poster of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is displayed. Picture:/AFP Prior to developing the GBU-57, the military had assessed that it didn't have a 'weapon that could adequately strike and kill this target'. 'The crews that attacked Fordow were from the active duty Air Force and the Missouri Air National Guard,' Lt. Gen. Caine said of the pilots. 'The crews ranked from captain to colonel, and most were graduates of the Air Force weapons school headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. I will state for the record that there is no beach volleyball or football at the Air Force weapons school,' he added, making a Top Gun reference. Lt. Gen. Caine had a video call with the crews recently and noted that there were both men and women involved in the daring attack. 'This felt like the Super Bowl, the thousands of scientists, airmen and maintainers all coming together,' he remarked. 'One last story about people. When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they'd be home. Pete Hegseth, left, with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Picture:/AFP 'Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening, and on Sunday, when those jets returned … their families were there, flags flying and tears flowing. I have chills, literally talking about this.' The country's highest-ranking military officer underscored that 'our forces remain on a high state of readiness in the region, prepared to defend themselves'. 'Our adversaries around the world should know that there are other DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] team members out there studying targets for the same amount of time, and we'll continue to do so,' he said of the group that developed the MOPs to use against Fordow. At one point during the briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who raged at the press repeatedly, was pressed about why he congratulated the 'boys' for the successful mission. 'I'm very proud of that female pilot, just like I'm very proud of those male pilots — and I don't care if it's a male or female in that cockpit, and the American people don't care,' Mr Hegseth clapped back. 'We don't play your little games.' This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Pentagon releases jaw-dropping footage showing how 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs work
