Peeking at Iran's Hidden Atom Lab: The Mysteries of Fordo Unveiled
Aerial view reveals the appearance of the clandestine nuclear facility stationed in Fordo.
Take a bird's-eye tour of a mysterious underworld, hidden underground in a barren mountain range south of Tehran: Inside the enigmatic Fordo complex, the Iranian regime is rumored to be stealthily advancing its atomic weapon ambitions. What secrets does satellite imagery reveal about this clandestine operation?
Tensions have been high between Israel and Iran, with Israel launching covert attacks on military and atomic installations in the Middle East since June 13, including uranium enrichment facilities. Of particular concern is the heavily fortified Fordo sites, around 90 kilometers south of Tehran. Western intelligence agencies suspect that the beating heart of Iran's nuclear project lies buried and separately shielded beneath the Earth in a network of tunnels under the rock.
Discover details from high-res satellite images:
- Zoom in to check the mystery: Explore the intriguing landscape on your own! The pictures show dark hills standing tall in a semi-arid landscape near the city of Ghom. These hills are located at an elevation of approximately 900 meters above sea level, where an extensive subterranean facility has been clandestinely developed in recent years. This facility raises eyebrows not only from Israel but also from other international observers.
Politics: Hidden Agendas and Belligerent Policies The site is secluded in an unpopulated desert expanse, far from any civil center. Surrounded by several layers of security perimeters, with only one access road leading to Fordo from the northwest, the facility is shrouded in uncertainty. Each vehicle entering the area must pass through several guarded checkpoints, and the site itself is surrounded by air defense installations, trenches, watchtowers, fences, and multiple layers of security rings.
The extraordinary security precautions suggest suspicious intentions: The satellite image revealed demonstrates an area around 3.5 kilometers wide. Inside this security zone, the uranium enrichment facility of Fordo, protected by six tunnel entrances, is visible. Two of these exitways are arranged in pairs near a conspicuous white building in the western part of the area. Another tunnel entrance opens around 500 meters from there toward the northeast. The sixth tunnel entrance to the deep bunkers of Fordo is situated at the eastern edge of the inner security ring.
The building with the white roof appears clearly on the satellite image and is around 140 meters long and 40 meters wide. An advanced and frequently utilized access road leads to the entrance from the northeast. The Iranians have set up 24/7 operation procedures: Even individual streetlights on the lit access road are visible on the satellite image. Another fence encompasses the white building.
Identical protective fences encircle the tunnel entrances located further northeast, as well as the two individual access points in the north and east. It seems that despite all the precautions, the Iranians still fear an invasion by infiltration teams and have taken necessary countermeasures to stop them inside the facility.
Politics: Who's Calling the Shots? The tunnel system beneath the mountain is replete with shafts, corridors, and bunkers. Previous visits by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that the Tehran regime had buried an entire uranium enrichment plant there. There might be additional protected access points to the tunnels system that remain unseen by satellites.
At the last count, around 2,000 centrifuges were operational at Fordo, with this facility responsible for producing the majority of Iran’s uranium enriched to up to 60%. If enhanced further, this amount could potentially create enough material for near about four nuclear bombs, according to experts. In comparison, the Natans pilot plant produced only 19.2 kilograms. As of now, Israel has spared the Fordo facility from any attacks.
Netanyahu: "The Power to Strike Back"
Less than a week after the onset of Operation "Rising Lion," Israeli fighter planes targeted the Iranian heavy water reactor in Arak. Israeli fighter jets dropped precision bombs on the reactor, causing visible damage.
The heavy water reactor in Arak was earlier known by the name of the neighboring city but was renamed by Iranian authorities in 2017. This unoperational nuclear power plant never commenced operations.
- Aerial View of the Reactor in Arak: Hint: Click to enlarge, view can be moved*
As the satellite images from the day before the attack indicate, buildings surrounding the reactor remained unharmed. Israel recently claimed that in Arak, in addition to the reactor, facilities responsible for heavy water production were also targeted. In video footage released by the Israeli military, several heavy impacts on the grounds of the nuclear facilities in Arak could be observed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his intention to continue air assaults in Iran. According to Netanyahu, the Israeli military has the capability to strike any of Iran’s nuclear facilities. "We have the capacity to carry out such operations," Netanyahu declared in an interview with the Israeli TV channel Kan, when asked whether a successful assault on the important underground nuclear facility at Fordo could be achieved without assistance from the USA.
Sources: ntv.de, mmo
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- Iran – Conflict
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Additional Insights: The recent high-resolution satellite images of Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility shed valuable insights into the site and the current situation:
- Location and Structural Composition Fordow is a deeply buried nuclear enrichment facility located around 60 miles southwest of Tehran, inside a mountain, making it highly secure and challenging to target with military strikes. It is one of Iran's two main known underground uranium enrichment sites, the other being Natanz[1][3].
- Purpose and Concerns Iran stresses that Fordow is used for medical research and peaceful nuclear activities. Nevertheless, several nations, including the United States and Israel, suspect this site to be part of a clandestine effort to develop nuclear weapons. Israeli intelligence alleges that senior Iranian nuclear scientists have secretly carried out experiments at Fordow aimed at weaponization[1][3].
- Recent Satellite Imagery Findings Satellite images dated June 14, 2025, show the Fordow facility from above, confirming its vast underground infrastructure. Unlike Natanz, which suffered visible above-ground damage from Israeli airstrikes in 2025, Fordow has remained untouched, likely due to its secure mountainous location that protects it from conventional bombings[1][2][3].
- Strategic Importance The lack of strikes on Fordow highlights its strategic importance and the difficulty in attacking it without risking an escalation. Israel’s military has publicly acknowledged intelligence pointing to secret nuclear weapons research at the site, yet has so far refrained from direct attacks possibly due to its secure geography and the potential for severe regional consequences[3].
- The politics surrounding the Fordo nuclear facility, a suspected clandestine operation for Iran's nuclear ambitions, are of great concern, with satellite imagery revealing an extensive subterranean facility with six tunnel entrances, protected by multiple security layers.
- In light of the ongoing international tension, the science and medical-conditions related to potential nuclear military applications become relevant, as Iran has been enriching uranium at the Fordo facility, with around 2,000 centrifuges operational, producing up to 60% enriched uranium, a quantity that could potentially create material for near about four nuclear bombs, according to experts.
- The politics and war-and-conflicts dynamics between Israel and Iran continue to shape the Middle East landscape, with Israel launching covert attacks on military and atomic installations; however, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has expressed his intention to continue air assaults, stating that the Israeli military has the capacity to strike any of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including the heavily fortified Fordo site.
