Iran assessing damage in flurry of activity at Fordow, new satellite images s

One image shows vehicles clustered near northern shafts above the underground complex. Maxar analysts said the imagery indicates “a flurry of activity at the heavily fortified facility built deep inside a mountain.”

Joseph Bermudez, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the outlet the images likely show Iranian crews assessing the damage. “It appears that they’re evaluating the hole, evaluating how deep it went,” he said, adding that the photos suggest a “process of investigating what happened” rather than immediate reconstruction.

Peter MacDonald, director at Viper Applied Science, a U.S.-based firm specializing in blast engineering, said Iran appears to be evaluating the impact rather than launching any meaningful repair effort.

Despite the damage, some repairs may already be underway. The satellite imagery shows a large crater near the Fordow entrance was filled in by June 27, though experts say there’s no indication the facility has resumed operations. “You would expect to see more vehicles, different types of vehicles,” Bermudez noted.

David Albright, a former weapons inspector and head of the Institute for Science and International Security, said Saturday’s images show that “the Iranians are actively working at the two MOP impact sites penetrating the ventilation shafts.” He added the work could involve backfilling craters, assessing structural damage, or performing radiological tests.