A knockout blow?
Satellite Imagery Reveals Renewed Activity at Fordow
While the White House insists the strike obliterated key nuclear capabilities, early intelligence estimates suggest only a temporary setback. The emerging images reignite debate over the lasting impact of Operation Midnight Hammer and raise critical questions about Iran’s remaining nuclear assets and intentions.
New satellite images show Iran has constructed a new access road to its Fordow uranium enrichment facility and deployed construction equipment, signaling efforts to assess damage from a U.S. airstrike on June 22, 2025. The imagery, captured over the weekend by Maxar Technologies, reveals vehicles, including an excavator and a mobile crane, at the heavily fortified underground site, according to an analysis by the Institute for Science and International Security.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the think tank suggested the excavator is likely preparing a staging area to send cameras or personnel into craters left by 12 U.S. “bunker buster” bombs, designed to penetrate deep into the mountain before exploding. The 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrators left visible holes in satellite photos, though no activity was observed at Fordow’s filled-in tunnel entrances. Several dump trucks were also spotted, likely used to clear debris.
The activity follows U.S. claims, led by President Trump, that the strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment suggested the strikes may have set back Iran’s program by only a few months. Nuclear experts note that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and centrifuges, some possibly relocated before the attack, remains a concern. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told CBS’s *Face the Nation* on Sunday that Iran’s industrial capacity could allow it to resume enrichment within months. “There has been severe damage, but it’s not total damage,” Grossi said, highlighting Iran’s sophisticated nuclear technology.
The good news is that "nuclear experts including former U.S. officials say that a seemingly small setback could significantly shift the diplomatic and military calculus around Iran’s nuclear program" as reported by WSJ.
Iran’s recent decision to ban inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from its nuclear facilities complicates the situation further, particularly following the U.S. airstrikes on June 22, 2025, targeting the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
This move builds on restrictions Iran imposed after the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, which had previously allowed IAEA access in exchange for sanctions relief. The ban severely hampers the IAEA’s ability to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities, including its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the production of advanced centrifuges critical for uranium enrichment.