Satellite images reveal Iran shoring up Isfahan nuclear facility’s defenses

Iran fortifying nuclear facility struck during June 2025 war, making its entrances less vulnerable to air attack amid fears of possible war with the US.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran is working to fortify one of its largest nuclear facilities, high resolution satellite images of the site reveal.

The images, which were taken on Sunday and published on Monday by the Institute for Science and International Security, reveal major changes at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex.

According to an analysis of the images conducted by the Institute for Science and International Security, multiple tunnel entrances at the complex have been filled in with soil, a move which could blunt the effects of any future strike and make special forces access more difficult.

The middle and southern entrances to the facility are now completely obscured, while the northernmost tunnel – which already featured additional passive defenses – also appears to have been backfilled.

The institute claims that these measures would reduce damage from airstrikes and complicate assaults intended to seize or destroy sensitive nuclear materials that might be stored underground.

Although it cannot be confirmed from imagery alone, analysts note that equipment or materials could have been moved into the tunnels before they were sealed, further complicating any external operation.

Similar fortification activity was observed before Operation Midnight Hammer last June, when US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

The work at the Isfahan facility is the latest evidence that Iran is preparing for a major military confrontation with the US, while at the same time engaging in diplomacy with the Trump administration.

Delegations from the US and Iran met in Oman on Friday, marking the first talks between the two sides since the 12-day war last June.

Since the meeting, however, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly rejected American demands that Tehran halt its uranium enrichment efforts or surrender its existing stockpile.