Unveiling the Aftermath: Israel's Aerial Assault on Iranian Nuclear Sites
Extremely vigorous attacks on Iranian nuclear sites by Israel, alleged reports suggest
C'mon, check out these jaw-dropping images! Just moments after Israel's assaults commenced, fresh satellite images surfaced, revealing impacts inside Iranian facilities. These pictures show hits on numerous sites of Iran's nuclear program. Israeli fighter jets aren't just focusing on research centers and enrichment facilities.
Take, for instance, the controversial Fordo nuclear plant located near Qom, around 90 kilometers south of Tehran. Over the decades, extensive bunkers and tunnel networks have been constructed here, used for covert work on Iran's nuclear ambitions, even at depths of up to 90 meters below ground level.
Satellite bird's eye view of the Fordo nuclear plant in Iran:
Click here for a closer look-> Here, you can zoom in and scroll around for a better view!
What's all the fuss about the Natanz nuclear facility? So, the Natanz facility was struck multiple times during the initial wave of Israeli attacks. Comparing before-and-after images helps us gauge the initial damage:
Just take a peek at these sharply captured images from satellite imagery providers like Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, sourced from January 2025 ("Before") and June 14, 2025 ("After"):
Multiple impacts are evident within the roughly four-square-kilometer, hermetically sealed facility residing in the northwest of the site. Experts suspect the first Israeli attack wave targeted the power supply of the Natanz site, with Israeli projectiles likely taking out the local transformer station.
Burn and explosion marks can be observed on at least four other buildings in Isfahan a day after the Israeli attacks began. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that the uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz were "at least severely damaged, if not completely destroyed" due to impacts on the transformer station and the subsequent power outage.
Iranian Nuclear Research Center in Isfahan
The scenario in Isfahan is strikingly similar. Highly detailed satellite images from Planet Labs indicate targeted strikes on individual factory or warehouse buildings.
Two larger impacts can be seen in the western half of the approximately 1.2 square-kilometer research center. Near the distinctive industrial chimney, the roof of a building seems to have partially caved in - whether from an external force or an internal explosion is unclear from a distance. Further evidence of impact can be found about 330 meters east, where a nearly 30-meter-wide hole is visible in the roof of a centrally located administration building, much like one in a warehouse at the Bid Kaneh rocket depot near Tehran.
Trotsky on the Bid Kaneh rocket depot:
The IAEA informed that a total of "four key buildings" were hit in Isfahan during the first wave, including a facility for converting concentrated uranium ore into gaseous uranium hexafluoride, a precursor to uranium enrichment, and a facility for producing nuclear fuels used in research reactors. Both sites in Isfahan and Natanz displayed no signs of increased radiation levels, per the atomic watchdog's report.
Strikes in Tehran
The Israeli airstrikes during the initial wave appear meticulous and targeted, based on available satellite imagery. The attacks seem to follow a well-orchestrated plan, although the situation can only be pieced together from various source materials.
Rumors swirl that, alongside known facilities of Iran's nuclear program, positions of Iran's air defense, radar systems, and rocket bases, as well as ammunition depots of the "Revolutionary Guards," were also targeted.
One attack took place on the first day of the war at the Ghadir base of the Iranian elite forces on the outskirts of Tehran. The "Revolutionary Guards" operate a strategically located depot there in a fenced facility. A satellite photo from June 14 shows a colossal explosion that destroyed half of the roof of a nearly 110-meter-long warehouse and scattered debris from the building in the surrounding area.
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A Look at the Battlefield: Tehran and Kermanshah
Close-up: Ammunition Depot in Kermanshah:
Click here for a closer look-> Observe the detail view and shift focus as needed!
According to IAEA information, an extensive attack targeted the ammunition depot near Kermanshah in western Iran. Western analysts suspect that part of Iran's rocket arsenal may be hidden in Kermanshah, with the possibility of tunnels containing warheads, rocket fuel, and other materials for the long-range weapons of the Iranian "Revolutionary Guards."
The damage visible from space on satellite photos does not allow for definitive conclusions about the actual destruction on the ground. Israel may have used precision bombers like the GBU-31 or GBU-28 in the attack on Isfahan and Natans, located deep in Iranian territory, according to a BBC report citing an expert from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.
The images themselves show three explosive impacts above the underground enrichment facilities at Natanz, with no large craters visible near the targeted buildings. This points to the use of precision bombs with hardened explosive warheads and delayed detonation, capable of penetrating several floors of the hit buildings before exploding deep underground.
The IAEA has not yet seen any evidence of the use of such weapons. "There is no evidence of shelling of the underground facilities for uranium enrichment in Iran," stressed an IAEA spokesperson.
In summary, the attacks seem methodical and well-planned, even from a glimpse through satellite photos. The ongoing conflict and its consequences remain fluid, as various reports and analyses emerge. For now, the Israeli airstrikes have wreaked considerable damage on key nuclear facilities in Iran.
Maps-Data-Infographics
- Iran
- Iranian Nuclear Program
- Military
- Israel
- Community policy discussions might include the potential ramifications of the Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in various political and general-news contexts, such as international reactions or regional alliances.
- The aerial assault on Iranian nuclear sites by Israel has impacted employment policy within these facilities, potentially leading to job losses, temporary or permanent, among workers and personnel involved in the Iranian nuclear program. This could affect the overall 'general-news' narrative and the politics surrounding the situation.
