Striking Iran's Nuclear Heart: An In-depth Look at Israel's Aerial Assault on Iranian Nuclear Sites
Israel delivers intense strikes against Iranian nuclear sites
Let's dive into the aftermath of Israel's relentless attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, as unveiled by satellite imagery from space. These images shed light on the intensity of the damage inflicted upon crucial Iranian nuclear sites. How far did Israeli missiles reach into Iran's nuclear program?
Israeli strikes have left an indelible mark on Iran since the outset of the conflict. High-resolution satellite images expose hits on numerous sites associated with Iran's nuclear program. Yet, Israeli fighter jets aim at more than just research centers and enrichment facilities.
The Fordo nuclear facility, a site situated near Qom about 90 kilometers south of Tehran, has drawn significant attention. For decades, extensive networked bunkers and tunnel systems have been established here, where work on Iran's nuclear program is conducted at depths up to 90 meters below ground.
A bird's-eye view of the Fordo nuclear facility in Iran:
Note: Click to zoom in and move the detail view
For instance, the Natanz nuclear facility was pummeled multiple times during the initial wave of Israeli attacks. A comparison of before-and-after satellite images indicates the initial assessment of damages incurred from a distance:
These images hail from the archives of commercial satellite image providers such as Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, which command high-tech cameras aboard various Earth observation satellites in orbit. The sharp images from Natanz were taken in January 2025 ("Before") and June 14, 2025 ("After").
Multiple hits are visible within the approximately four-square-kilometer, hermetically sealed facility. Western analysts suspect that the first Israeli attack wave targeted the power supply of the site. In the northwest of the facility, Israeli projectiles seem to have struck the local transformer station.
Burn marks and explosive signs can be seen on at least four other buildings in Isfahan the day after the start of the Israeli attacks. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that the uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz have sustained "severe damage, if not complete destruction" due to the strikes on the transformer station and the subsequent power outage. The targeted strike on the transformers was likely also detrimental to the underground centrifuges, authorities reported. No massive impact craters are visible in the images from the day after the first attack. Initially, IAEA experts thought the Israeli military had yet to deploy bunker-busting weapons in Natanz.
Nuclear Research Center Isfahan
In the Iranian Nuclear Research Center Isfahan, around 130 kilometers south of Natanz, a similar picture emerges. High-resolution images from satellite image provider Planet Labs hint at targeted shooting at individual factory or storage halls here.
Political Targets: Iran's Nuclear Program in the Crosshairs
Two significant impacts are visible in the western part of the approximately 1.2 square kilometer research center. Near the distinctive industrial chimney, the roof of a building appears to have partially collapsed - whether due to an external hit or internal explosion is uncertain from this distance. Approximately 330 meters east, a nearly 30-meter-wide hole can be seen in the roof of a centrally located administrative building, resembling one in a warehouse at the Bid Kaneh rocket depot in Tehran.
Close-up: Bid Kaneh Rocket Depot
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According to IAEA information, a total of "four key buildings" were hit in Isfahan during the first wave of attacks, including a facility for converting concentrated uranium ore into gaseous uranium hexafluoride, a precursor to uranium enrichment, and a facility for producing nuclear fuel used in research reactors. Neither site - Isfahan and Natans - has shown signs of increased radiation levels, the nuclear watchdog reported.
Strike in Tehran
The Israeli airstrikes in the first wave appear methodical and targeted based on available satellite imagery. The attacks seem to follow a meticulously planned strategy. However, the development can only be tracked piecemeal using independent source material.
Israeli accounts state that, in the first days of the war, alongside known facilities of Iran's nuclear program, positions of Iranian air defense, radar systems, and rocket bases and munitions depots of the "Revolutionary Guards" were also targeted.
One of these attacks occurred on the first day of the war at the Ghadir site of the Iranian elite forces on the outskirts of Tehran. The "Revolutionary Guards" operate a strategically located depot there in a fenced-off facility. A satellite photo from June 14 indeed shows a massive explosion that tore the roof off a nearly 110-meter-long storage hall in half and scattered debris from the building's interior in the surrounding area.
Close-up: Weapons Depot near Kermanshah
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Another, more extensive attack targeted the sprawling facilities at the munitions depot near Kermanshah in western Iran. Near the city, there are extensive military restricted areas that stretch far into the adjacent mountains to the northeast of the city. In a remote valley, suspicious tunnel entrances can be seen along the slope over several kilometers.
Western analysts suspect that Kermanshah may house part of Iran's rocket arsenal. The tunnels could contain warheads, rocket fuel, and other materials for launching the long-range weapons of the Iranian "Revolutionary Guards."
As of now, it is known that several heavy explosions occurred at Kermanshah during the attacks starting on June 13. Significantly enlarged satellite photos seem to document Israeli hits near the entrance of the heavily shielded weapons depot. Furthermore, several tunnel entrances in the area display visible burn marks from space.
The damage pattern visible on satellite images from space does not allow for any definitive conclusions about the actual destruction on the ground. Israeli air force might have employed precision bombs of the type GBU-31 or GBU-28 in the strike in Isfahan and Natans, deep in the Iranian hinterland, according to an RUSI expert quoted by BBC.
The use of guided precision bombs on the grounds of Iranian nuclear facilities is suggested by the impacts on the roof centers and the absence of craters around the targeted buildings. These weapon systems, equipped with specially hardened warheads and delayed fusing, could have penetrated several floors of the hit buildings and only then exploded deep in the ground.
Politics Hulk on the Israel-Iran conflict Bunker-buster bomb of the USA "would be a game-changer" While the IAEA sees no signs of the use of such weapons, Israeli forces have already employed such "bunker busters" in Gaza and Lebanon against heavily fortified underground facilities, it is said.
The community policy regarding the dissemination of satellite images related to war-and-conflicts, such as the one between Israel and Iran, needs to be clear to ensure accurate reporting of policy-and-legislation matters. In the context of this specific conflict, employment policies within news organizations must prioritize the ethical usage of these images, considering their potential impact on general-news.
The ease with which high-resolution satellite images show the damage inflicted upon Iran's nuclear research facilities highlights the need for responsible policy-making in employing military technologies, especially those capable of penetrating underground facilities, such as bunker-buster bombs. The use of such weapons, despite their effectiveness, also carries significant political implications that extend beyond the immediate conflict.
