Satellite images may reveal Iran trying to find material used in bombed nuclear sites
Listen to this article
Average 5 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Satellite images showing recent activity around two Iranian nuclear sites that were bombed last year by Israel and the US suggest that Iran may be trying to bring the equipment back to the site.
But experts say that, whatever recovery work Iran is doing, there has been no significant recovery of its nuclear program since the attack.
There was some recovery after the damage caused by the US, but “there were no indications of a significant resumption of activity,” said Joseph Rodgers, deputy director and fellow of the Project on Nuclear Issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“There are no scientists coming in and working hard in these areas. There is not much work. And what we see is not important for the nuclear program.”
New satellite images from the Earth Labs PBC imaging company show roofs have been erected over two damaged buildings in the centers of Isfahan and Natanz. It is the first major satellite-visible activity at any of the nuclear sites attacked since Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June.
The Natanz site, 220 kilometers south of the capital, is a mix of surface and underground laboratories that do most of Iran’s uranium enrichment.
On this site, pictures show that Iran covered the anti-drone cage The Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant has a panel roof, said Spencer Faragasso, the company’s chief executive officer. the Institute for Science and International Security.
“We checked that this is done to hide the activities they are doing inside. To close the eyes of the observers as part of the rescue and recovery work,” he said.
Faragasso said Iran may be looking for any materials or equipment that survived the attack, including any highly enriched uranium that could be found.
The second site, outside the city of Isfahan, is best known for producing uranium gas that is put into centrifuges for enrichment.
A January 29 report co-authored by the Center’s Faragasso said satellite images show traffic on the road leading to the tunnel in the area has “increased dramatically.”
The report, based on satellite images, said that The most recent work appears to be related to the reburial of the southern and central entrance to the ground.
The report said that a new roof built over the existing steel frame of the demolished building could indicate that Iran has decided that the building should be preserved and that the work may be related to centrifuge production.
Faragasso told CBC News that the project appears to be “another attempt to bring back the remaining machines to try to consolidate enrichment.”
He said Iran may be willing to rebuild its nuclear power, but restoring the facilities to their former state will require significant time, resources and investment.
‘Too far back’
That includes the Ford site, a strong enrichment center built under the mountain.
Based on the scale of the damage from the attack – debris and destroyed infrastructure – Faragasso said it is possible to make an accurate assessment that the facilities are not working.
“Iran’s nuclear program is very far behind. Its enrichment program is non-existent,” he said.
Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., senior fellow for image analysis at CSIS, said Iran it seems to be in the stage where it has not removed the trash.
He said he doesn’t see the rebuilt roof as a priority. The limited vehicle activity and crew activity seen suggests that the sites suffered significant damage.
“There is no significant evidence in the three areas of the re-establishment of a major scientific effort or a weapons effort,” he said.
However, Bermudez Jr. he said that satellites cannot show what is happening underground, so it is not clear what activity might be happening there.
Rodgers, from CSIS, also said there’s a lot satellite imagery won’t show.
For example, Iran is believed to have a stockpile of 460.9 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium but “it is not clear where that uranium is stored,” he said.
Iran’s foreign minister called the first round of informal talks with US officials on Iran’s nuclear program a ‘good start.’ But neighboring countries continue to worry about a US military strike that could spark a regional war.
Rodgers said that before the US strikes in June, Iran will allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect a third enrichment site – believed to be near Isfahan – in addition to Fordo and Natanz.
“The important takeaway is that Iran still has a lot [highly enriched uranium] and the third enrichment area is about to be completed,” he said.
“We don’t know … how close it is to being operational. It may not be good at all. It may be under construction. It’s not clear.”
