Incoming strike? Satellite images show Iran sealing off nuclear site
Satellite imagery shows Iran has sealed all tunnel entrances at its Esfahan nuclear site, in a move that mirrors preparations taken before Israel's Operation Rising Lion
New high-resolution satellite imagery suggests Iran is taking significant defensive steps at its Esfahan nuclear complex amid rising regional tensions and uncertainty over potential U.S. military action.
Images published by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) show that all entrances to the underground tunnel network at the Esfahan site have been sealed with large amounts of soil.
According to the imagery, the middle and southern tunnel entrances are now completely unrecognizable, while the northernmost entrance—previously equipped with additional passive defense measures—has also been backfilled. No vehicle or personnel activity is visible around the site.
Analysts say the move appears aimed at limiting damage from a possible airstrike and complicating any ground raid by special forces seeking to seize or destroy highly enriched uranium that may be stored within the hardened facility. While it is also possible that Iran transferred sensitive equipment or materials into the tunnels for protection, no official confirmation of such activity has been provided.
The preparations mirror measures last observed in the days preceding Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. strike carried out last June against nuclear facilities in Esfahan, Fordow, Natanz, and Arak.
The developments come as tensions remain high across the Middle East and Persian Gulf, with no clear indication as of Tuesday whether U.S. President Donald Trump will authorize military action against Iran. Nevertheless, Iranian authorities appear to be bracing for the possibility of a strike on the country’s nuclear infrastructure.
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Iran has taken additional civil defense measures in recent weeks. At the end of last month, the head of Tehran’s Crisis Management Authority acknowledged that 82 metro stations in the capital had been converted into emergency shelters and stocked with essential survival equipment. Similar steps were last taken ahead of Operation Rising Lion. Iranian officials have also reportedly begun stockpiling large quantities of fuel in trucks to serve as mobile storage units in the event of an attack.
Meanwhile, U.S. diplomatic and military activity in the region has continued. Over the weekend, President Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and senior adviser Jared Kushner visited the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman. According to a senior U.S. official and regional sources, the visit followed talks with Iran on Friday and was arranged by U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper as a gesture of support and appreciation for American forces stationed in the region.