Recent satellite images reveal significant activity at two Iranian nuclear sites, Isfahan and Natanz, which were previously bombed last year by Israel and the United States. These images, provided by Planet Labs PBC, show that roofs have been constructed over damaged buildings at both facilities. Experts suggest this activity is not indicative of reconstruction efforts but rather part of Iran's strategy to assess and recover key assets, such as limited stocks of highly enriched uranium, or to obscure ongoing operations from international observation.

This development unfolds amid soaring tensions over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests and persistent demands from US President Donald Trump for Iran to negotiate a deal regarding its nuclear program. Trump has repeatedly threatened the Islamic Republic with military strikes, deploying naval assets like the USS Abraham Lincoln and guided-missile destroyers to the Middle East. He has warned of a 'bigger' retaliation than the US raid in Venezuela and described a 'massive Armada' heading to Iran, emphasizing a readiness for swift and violent action if necessary to force Tehran to the negotiating table.

The two sites in question bore the brunt of coordinated attacks last summer. Prior to these strikes, Iran possessed three major nuclear facilities. The Natanz site, located south of the capital, served as a primary location for uranium enrichment, utilizing advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium up to 60% – a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. On June 13, Israel targeted Natanz's main above-ground enrichment building, the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant, rendering it 'functionally destroyed' and severely damaging underground halls containing centrifuges. A follow-up US attack on June 22 used bunker-busting bombs, likely decimating any remaining components. The Isfahan facility was primarily known for producing uranium gas fed into centrifuges, with associated sites for centrifuge manufacturing also targeted by Israeli strikes.

According to satellite imagery, Iran began building a roof over the damaged Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz in December and completed it by the end of the month. A similar roof over a structure near Isfahan's northeast corner was finished in early January. Analysts like Andrea Stricker of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and Sarah Burkhard of the Institute for Science and International Security interpret these coverings as efforts to recover assets or rubble without external monitoring, including by the IAEA. Iran has not publicly acknowledged this work, and Natanz's electrical system appears to remain destroyed.

Beyond the damaged sites, Iran is also engaged in new subterranean activities. Satellite images show ongoing digging work, which commenced in 2023, at Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā ('Pickaxe Mountain') a few hundred meters south of the Natanz complex. This is believed to be for the construction of a new underground nuclear facility. At Isfahan, two tunnels into a nearby mountain have been packed with dirt, a defensive measure against missile strikes, while a third tunnel appears cleared with new walls as a security enhancement.

Despite the heightened military posturing, Iranian officials have indicated a willingness for dialogue. Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, reported progress toward negotiations, while President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that Tehran does not seek conflict with the US, believing it would benefit neither side nor the region. An explosion in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, initially feared to be a foreign attack, was attributed to a gas leak, killing one person and injuring 14 others. This diplomatic communication, however, contrasts with the ongoing covert activities at its nuclear sites and the persistent threats from the United States, keeping the international community on high alert regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions and the potential for escalation.