New satellite images released by Maxar Technologies, a leading geospatial intelligence firm, reveal ongoing activity at Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant following last week’s U.S. airstrikes. According to Maxar, the images show work being carried out at the ventilation shafts and access holes impacted by the bombings. Several cranes are being operated by officials at the site.
Maxar reported that an excavator has been installed at the top end of the underground complex, near the northern shaft, and cranes are actively being used at the shaft entrance. Several vehicles have also been spotted below the ridge, parked along a road constructed to access the underground facility.
Media reports say that David Albright, a former nuclear inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, has examined Maxar’s satellite images. According to his assessment, Iranian personnel are working at two sites where U.S. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs made impact. The images suggest Iranian teams are evaluating damage, and Maxar believes radiological sampling is underway. Iranian officials are also overseeing efforts to repair the main entrance, though there are no signs of attempts to reopen any of the tunnel entrances, the report says.
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During the recent Iran-Israel conflict, American B-2 stealth bombers deployed bunker buster bombs on Iran’s key nuclear facilities, including Fordow. In total, the U.S. reportedly dropped more than two dozen MOPs on Fordow, while Tomahawk missiles fired from a U.S. submarine struck the Isfahan nuclear facility in central Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Kaine, confirmed that the US attacks were aimed specifically at Fordow’s ventilation shafts, which are believed to be critical to the facility’s operation. A Pentagon briefing stated that most of the bombs used detonated successfully and were designed to penetrate deep into fortified underground sites.
Fordow is widely believed to house the bulk of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, with the potential to be used in nuclear weapons development. While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has yet to confirm the full extent of the damage, its Director General, Rafael Grossi, stated that Iran could resume uranium enrichment within a month if it chose to. According to IAEA data, Iran currently possesses around 400 kg (880 lbs) of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity, just below the 90 percent level needed for weapons-grade material. If further enriched, this stockpile could be enough to produce approximately nine nuclear weapons.
Grossi observed that while some of Iran’s nuclear facilities had been hit, others remained intact. He warned that Iran could resume production of enriched uranium quickly, noting that the country may already have operational centrifuge cascades.
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He also expressed concern over the uranium enriched to 60 per cent, saying that if refined further, Iran could potentially produce more than nine nuclear bombs. Grossi admitted that the IAEA was still uncertain whether Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile had been relocated or partially destroyed before the U.S. and Israeli strikes, but noted that more clarity on this issue is expected in due course.
Israel launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure on June 13, citing growing concerns that Iran could attain nuclear weapons capability within months. Tehran rejected these claims. While Israel managed to strike multiple sites, it was unable to destroy the heavily fortified underground Fordow facility. Subsequently, the United States launched its own air campaign using B-2 bombers to target and destroy three key nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow. The US declared that it had severely crippled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure using bunker-busting ordnance.
This military campaign escalated into a 12-day open conflict involving the United States. In response to U.S. airstrikes, Iran launched missile attacks on the American Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar and another U.S. military base in Iraq. The conflict eventually led to a ceasefire on June 24.
Both Iran and Israel claimed victory following the ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been dismantled. However, Iran dismissed these statements. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Trump of grossly exaggerating the outcomes of the conflict and firmly denied that Iran’s nuclear program had suffered long-term damage.
The visible resumption of activity at Iran’s nuclear sites, particularly at Fordow, raises serious concerns about the potential for renewed hostilities. With Iranian officials actively assessing damage and possibly restarting key operations, questions emerge over whether this could trigger another U.S. strike, risking a dangerous escalation in the already fragile post-war environment.
