Satellite Imagery Reveals
Iran Secretly Rebuilds Parchin Nuclear Site
Satellite imagery reveals Iran is rebuilding the Taleghan 2 site at its Parchin military complex, once central to the secretive Amad nuclear weapons program, prompting global concern over potential nuclear weapons-related activities.
New satellite imagery analyzed by nuclear expert David Albright and the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has uncovered ongoing reconstruction at the Taleghan 2 facility within Iran's restricted Parchin military complex, a site historically associated with nuclear weapons development under the Amad Plan.
The Amad Plan, Iran's covert nuclear weapons program officially halted in 2003, utilized Taleghan 2 for high explosive testing related to nuclear detonation components, including a containment chamber for such experiments.
The facility was severely damaged during an Israeli airstrike on October 25, 2024, which destroyed the main Taleghan 2 building along with nearby structures involved in solid rocket motor production.
Post-strike assessments confirmed the site's destruction, raising questions about Iran's potential resumption of prohibited activities. However, commercial satellite images reviewed by ISIS show reconstruction efforts beginning around mid-May 2025. By May 20, 2025, a black temporary cover was installed over the rubble of the destroyed building.
Progress accelerated, with imagery from June 12, 2025, revealing the start of new arched structures, potentially designed to house equipment similar to the original site's capabilities.
By September 27, 2025, construction had advanced significantly, with the new structures nearing completion and debris largely cleared.
ISIS's report, released on October 20, 2025, highlights concerns that this rebuilding could signal Iran's intent to revive nuclear weapons-related testing at Parchin, a site long scrutinized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for undeclared nuclear activities.
The Parchin complex has been off-limits to IAEA inspectors for years, and Iran has denied any nuclear weapons ambitions, insisting its program is for "peaceful purposes".
Albright and his team note that while the exact purpose of the rebuilt site remains unclear, its history and the secretive nature of the work warrant international attention.
This development comes amid heightened tensions, including recent IAEA reports on Iran's accelerating uranium enrichment and separate satellite evidence of damage to other Iranian nuclear sites like Fordow in June 2025, though those incidents are not directly linked to Parchin.