Satellite Images Show Iran's Buried Nuclear Sites That Trump Could Strike
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In its mission to take out Tehran's nuclear program, two of Iran's major sites are likely out of reach of Israeli weapons.
Israel launched what it termed a "preemptive" campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists, as well as the country's ballistic missile sites and other military assets, on Friday.
Iran responded with drone and ballistic missile barrages. Strikes launched by both countries continued into Thursday.
Fordow, a major facility roughly 100 miles from the capital, Tehran, is built deep under a mountain. It is widely acknowledged the only real option to take out the site are 30,000-pound bunker-busting American bombs launched from U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers.
However, there is another hub, known as Mt. Kolang Gaz La, which sits on the outskirts of the Natanz nuclear site, considered Tehran's main facility for enriching uranium southeast of the capital.
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) published satellite imagery back in April that it said showed Iran was building a new security perimeter around the base of Mt. Kolang Gaz La.
Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025.
Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025.
Institute for Science and International Security
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not visited the site of two nuclear tunnels at Mt. Kolang Gaz La, the organization has said.
"The new complex features halls more deeply buried than the Fordow uranium enrichment site," ISIS said in its April assessment.
Israel cannot collapse the Fordow, nor Mt. Kolang Gaz La sites, William Alberque told Newsweek.
Alberque is a visiting fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center think tank and a former director of NATO's Arms Control, Disarmament and WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] Nonproliferation Center.
Iran said in 2020 it had started construction on a new hall in "the heart of the mountain near Natanz," in the center of the country, to make advanced centrifuges.
Israel and the U.S. have both insisted it is unacceptable for Iran to gain a nuclear weapon. While Tehran has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, officials have publicly discussed the possibility of weapons.
U.S. President Donald Trump has kept the world on tenterhooks by refusing to confirm whether American aircraft and munitions would launch offensive action on Iranian sites. The Republican president insists Iran wants to "make a deal," but has privately approved attack plans, according to reports on Thursday, although no final decision has been rubber-stamped.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had struck an "inactive" nuclear reactor in Arak, east of Fordow, and a "nuclear weapons development site near Natanz."
"This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Iranian state media confirmed an Israeli strike on the reactor and reported an attack on the Khondab heavy water facility.
Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025, showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment site and construction to the south of the main complex.
Satellite imagery and annotations published by the Institute for Science and International Security in April 2025, showing the Natanz nuclear enrichment site and construction to the south of the main complex.
Institute for Science and International Security
The IAEA said it had information indicating the half-built Khondab heavy water research reactor was hit, but said it was not operational and had no radiological impact.
"With Iran, the facilities that we are most concerned about are the operating power plants, with Bushehr at the top of the list," Nickolas Roth, from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the Washington Post.
Israel targeted Natanz in its initial strikes last week. Satellite imagery captured by Maxar, a space technology firm, on Saturday showed multiple damaged buildings at the site, while the IAEA said on Friday the aboveground part of the facility had been "destroyed," along with power infrastructure there.
The watchdog then assessed on Monday that Israel had "severely damaged if not destroyed" centrifuges at the underground facility in Natanz.
The belowground centrifuges were not hit directly, but strikes caused power cuts and "completely destroyed" the aboveground Natanz site, Rafael Grossi, chief of the IAEA, told the BBC.
Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, described the country's facilities on Wednesday as in "good" condition, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
The agency told the U.N. Security Council at the time that Iranian authorities had reported attacks on Isfahan and to Fordow, but could not provide further details.
But satellite imagery has indicated no visible damage to Fordow, a site publicly revealed in 2009.
Israel struck nuclear-linked sites in Isfahan, south of Fordow, and damaged four buildings at the facility, Grossi said on Sunday.
Trump has warned Iran—which has cast the U.S. as already involved—that it would face "the full strength and might" of the U.S. military on "levels you've never seen before" if Iran attacked the U.S. in any way.
The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened the U.S. on Wednesday with "irreparable damage" if Washington became militarily involved.
"I may do it, I may not," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, when asked if he would launch attacks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
15 minutes ago
- CNBC
The Israel-Iran conflict and the other big thing that drove the stock market this week
It's been a tense and dynamic week for the world at large. The market action on Wall Street over the past four sessions was been anything but that. For the week, the S & P 500 lost 0.15%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked up 0.21%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was basically flat, up a mere 0.02%. Beneath the surface, though, there was plenty of news for investors to digest. Here's a closer look at the biggest market themes during the holiday-shortened trading week. 1. Geopolitics: The major news story was — and still is — the intensifying war between Israel and Iran. The big question on everyone's mind is whether the U.S. will get involved. As of Friday, reports indicate that while President Donald Trump is actively reviewing options to attack Iran, nothing has been authorized. The White House has said Trump he will make a decision in the "next two weeks". As a result of the Israel-Iran conflict, investors spent the week keeping an extra close eye on the movement in safe-haven assets like gold and the dollar, as well as risk assets such as oil. Gold prices pulled back this week after their initial spike last Friday, which is when Israel's first attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure jolted markets. The U.S. dollar index , meanwhile, strengthened this week but still remains near multiyear lows. Oil rose again for the week, with international benchmark Brent crude climbing nearly 4%. For those looking to gauge what the market thinks will happen with Iran, look to oil. The commodity is currently acting as something of proxy on the odds of the conflict intensifying and America directly entering the fray. 2. Fed updates: The other big theme of the week centered on the health of the U.S. economy in the lead up to Wednesday afternoon, when we got the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision and revised economic projections. Ultimately, the Fed kept its benchmark lending rate unchanged on Wednesday following its two-day policy meeting. The decision followed lackluster updates on the state of the consumer and the housing market , along with lower-than-expected inflation readings the week prior. As we outlined earlier this week , the Fed is in a tough spot when it comes to abiding by its dual mandate of ensuring price stability and low unemployment. The state of play requires nuance. On the one hand, there is evidence in support of rate cuts, namely some cracks in the consumer — even if the consumer has remained largely and impressively resilient — and the Fed's own updated outlook for lower real GDP growth and higher unemployment this year. On the other hand, the Fed is now expecting higher inflation this year than it did in March, which would support the need for higher interest rates. Given these dueling dynamics and the uncertainty around tariff impacts, the central bank's decision to keep interest rates steady makes sense. While the Fed certainly doesn't want to wait too long and make the same mistake we saw coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must acknowledge that the causes of a potential rebound in inflation are different this time around. Tariffs will likely push up prices, but that may be a one-time increase, as opposed to the sustained inflation we saw exiting the pandemic, which was driven by massive supply chain disruptions and shifts in consumer behavior. As a result, we believe the apparent bias to be more worried about the job market and overall economic growth — and therefore cut rates later this year — makes sense, too. Indeed, the Fed's updated projections still pencil in two rate cuts in 2025, the same as in March despite the aforementioned revisions to its inflation and growth outlook. Fed Governor Christopher Waller made the case Friday that the cuts should start as early as July, arguing that the inflation risk posed by tariffs is not significant and ensuring resiliency in the labor market should be a higher priority. Waller's argument is basically that it's better to move now than wait for a jump in unemployment. Our biggest focus at the Club is staying nimble, given the highly volatile nature of geopolitics at the moment. No doubt, rate decisions are important to think about, but they're only one small part of the investing puzzle to navigate each day. For this reason, we continue to focus more on individual company fundamentals and industry trends rather than higher-level dynamics, important as they are to shaping our worldview. Cybersecurity stocks are one example that we highlighted this week. Another example would be the news we got from Club names Meta Platforms and Amazon this week on their artificial intelligence efforts. We think the implications that AI will have on the cost structures, revenue opportunities and efficiency gains should weigh far more heavily in the minds' of long-term investors than whether the Fed will cut in July or September. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long META, AMZN. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Los Angeles Times
24 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel hits an Iranian nuclear research facility and says it's preparing for a long war
TEL AVIV — Israel's military said Saturday it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks, while emphasizing it was preparing for the possibility of a lengthy war. Smoke rose from an area near a mountain in Isfahan, where Isfahan province's deputy governor for security affairs, Akbar Salehi, confirmed the Israeli strikes damaged the facility but said they caused no casualties. The target was two centrifuge production sites, according to an Israeli military official speaking on condition of anonymity under army guidelines to brief reporters. It was the second attack on Isfahan, which was hit in the first 24 hours of the war as part of Israel's goal to destroy Iran's nuclear program. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, confirmed the latest attack. Iran launched a new wave of drones and missiles at Israel but there were no immediate reports of significant damage. A Magen David Adom rescue service official said a drone hit a two-story building in northern Israel, with no casualties. The official called it a 'small barrage' that was largely intercepted by Israel's defenses. The official estimated that Israel's military has taken out more than half of Iran's launchers. 'We're making it harder for them to fire toward Israel,' he said. 'Having said all that, I want to say the Iranian regime obviously still has capabilities.' The Israeli military's chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, later said that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the army to be prepared for a 'prolonged campaign.' President Trump is weighing active U.S. military involvement in the war. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, 'I think that it would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' He spoke on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Turkey. Barring a commando raid or even a nuclear strike, Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered out of reach to all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Trump said he would put off his decision on direct military involvement for up to two weeks. The war erupted June 13, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists. At least 722 people, including 285 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,500 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. One Tehran resident, Nasrin, writhed in her hospital bed as she described how a blast threw her against a wall in her apartment. 'I've had five surgeries. I think I have nothing right here that is intact,' she said Saturday. Another resident, Shahram Nourmohammadi, said he had been making deliveries when 'something blew up right in front of me' at an intersection. Iran has retaliated by firing more than 450 missiles and 1,000 drones at Israel, according to Israeli army estimates. Israel's multi-tiered air defenses have shot down most of them, but at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but it is the only nonnuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear weapons program, but has never acknowledged it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel's military operation will continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal. Talks in Geneva on Friday failed to produce a breakthrough. European officials expressed hope for future discussions. Iran's foreign minister said he was open to further dialogue while emphasizing that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continues to attack. 'Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again, and once aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,' he told reporters. No date was set for a new round of talks. For many Iranians, updates remained difficult. Internet-access advocacy group said Saturday that limited internet access had again 'collapsed.' A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days. Israel's opening attack killed three of Iran's top military leaders: Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who oversaw the armed forces; Gen. Hossein Salami, who led the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and the head of the Revolutionary Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Israel's defense minister said Saturday the military has killed a Revolutionary Guard commander who financed and armed Hamas in preparation for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing 20-month war in the Gaza Strip. Iranian officials did not immediately confirm Saeed Izadi's death, but the Qom governor's office said there had been an attack on a four-story apartment building and local media reported two people had been killed. Israel also said it killed the commander of the Quds Force's weapons transfer unit, who it said was responsible for providing weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Behnam Shahriyari was killed while traveling in western Iran, the military said. Iranian leaders say IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi's statements about the status of Iran's nuclear program have prompted Israel's attack. On Saturday, a senior advisor for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, Ali Larijani, said in a social media post, without elaboration, that Iran would make Grossi 'pay' once the war is over. Grossi warned Friday at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. 'In case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,' Grossi said, adding: 'This is the nuclear site in Iran where the consequences could be most serious.' Israel has not targeted Iran's nuclear reactors, instead focusing its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Iran previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60% and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Rising and Mednick write for the Associated Press and reported from Dubai and Tel Aviv, respectively. AP writers Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Farnoush Amiri and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.
Axios
26 minutes ago
- Axios
Scoop: Trump's backchannel to Iran failed after supreme leader went dark
President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly sought to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul last week amid Israel's escalating war with Iran. But the effort collapsed when Iran's supreme leader — in hiding due to fears of assassination — couldn't be reached to approve it, according to three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Why it matters: New details of this backchannel effort reveal the extent to which Trump was pushing for a direct meeting with the Iranians — even offering to attend himself, if necessary — in hopes of striking a nuclear deal and avoiding U.S. military intervention. In the days since, Trump and senior White House officials became less confident that a diplomatic solution was possible — and more convinced the U.S. would have to join the war to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program, according to U.S. officials. Driving the news: Trump reiterated on Friday that he will make a decision on whether to join the war in the next "two weeks," saying he wanted "time to see whether or not people come to their senses." "I'm giving 'em a period of time. We're gonna see what that period of time is. And I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump told reporters. On Saturday evening, Trump is expected to convene his national security team in the White House Situation Room to discuss the war between Israel and Iran, which has entered its ninth day. Behind the scenes: Trump received a phone call from Erdoğan on Monday while meeting with G7 leaders in Canada. Erdoğan proposed hosting a meeting in Istanbul the next day between U.S. and Iranian officials to explore a diplomatic solution to the war, three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge told Axios. Trump agreed and told Erdoğan he was willing to send Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff — and even travel to Turkey himself to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — if that's what was necessary to get a deal, the sources said. A White House official said that in the hours before the call from Erdoğan, Trump received "signals" from the Iranians through other backchannels that they wanted to meet. While Trump's personal involvement was discussed, the official said, the more serious plan was to send Vance and Witkoff. Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan then relayed the proposal to Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, the sources said. Two U.S. officials said Pezeshkian and Araghchi tried contacting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei to get his approval. But Khamenei, who has been in hiding for fear of being assassinated by Israel, couldn't be reached. After several hours, the Iranian side informed the Turks they couldn't get Khamenei's sign-off. Turkey then told the U.S. the meeting was off, a U.S. official said. Shortly afterward, Trump took to Truth Social and posted an extraordinary public message to Khamenei. "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote. A senior White House official said the breakdown in talks wasn't the sole reason for the post and stressed there was "no direct correlation." The official added that Trump's call for civilians to evacuate Tehran — a city of 10 million people, with 17 million in the wider metropolitan area — reflected his desire to protect Iranian lives. State of play: In recent days, the Iranians have said both publicly and privately that they will not negotiate directly with the U.S. unless Israel halts its attacks. Trump said Friday that it will be "very hard" to pause the war to allow for direct negotiations with the U.S., noting that Israel is "doing well" in its efforts to take out Iran's nuclear program. On Saturday, Erdoğan met with Iran's foreign minister Araghchi in Istanbul and urged him to hold direct talks with the Trump administration. Erdoğan told Araghchi that Turkey was ready to facilitate such talks as soon as possible, according to a statement from the Turkish president's office. What to watch: On Saturday morning, six B-2 stealth bombers departed from their base in Missouri and began heading west, according to flight tracking data. The B-2s are expected to play a key role in any potential U.S. strike on Iran, capable of carrying the 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs likely to be used to destroy the heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment facility. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. Trump said on Friday that Israel has "very limited capacity" to damage Fordow. "They can break through a little section, but they can't go down very deep. They don't have that capacity. And, we'll have to see what happens. Maybe it won't be necessary," Trump said.
