Satellite images show renewed activity at the Iranian nuclear weapons site Israel struck in March
The compound was established in 2022 and absorbed some of the means from the Turquz Abad site, which PM Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in 2018, according to an X account cited in the report
Satellite imagery shows significant renewed activity at Minzadayi, an Iranian nuclear weapons development compound northeast of Tehran that Israel revealed during the 2026 war. This is according to a report published October 6 by the Institute for Science and International Security.
High-resolution VANTOR Technologies images from September and October show a return to regular vehicle activity at the site, despite Israel attacking the compound on March 3, destroying several buildings and likely underground structures. The report said the activity follows an extensive cleanup that included clearing rubble and debris and repairing damage on the hillside.
One area hit in March shows ongoing earthmoving. It is a surface made to look like a courtyard, where multiple craters were visible after the attacks. Cars are parked outside the security perimeter, and many passenger vehicles and trucks are inside it.
The report noted significant vehicle presence between early September and early October.
The authors wrote that the activity "may be indicative of an effort by Iran to reestablish a nuclear weapons development capability" and to reconstitute what was lost in the attack. Based on public reporting and IDF statements, ISIS said the work at the site likely involved research and development on nuclear warheads.
The IDF originally claimed a "group of nuclear scientists operated covertly to develop a key component in the nuclear weapons system."
The report also cited the X account @IntelliTimes. In a September 24 post, the account said the nuclear weapons-related infrastructure was established in 2022 and "absorbed part of the means from the nuclear warehouse." The report described that as a common reference to the Turquz Abad site, which Netanyahu revealed in September 2018 after Iran removed more than a dozen shipping containers assessed to hold nuclear material and equipment.
When the IAEA visited Turquz Abad in March 2019, it found evidence that nuclear material or contaminated equipment had been present. The IAEA Board has since pressed Iran to account for where that material or equipment is now.
According to the report, @IntelliTimes indicates Iran did not simply move it to long-term storage but used Minzadayi to establish an "industrial nuclear headquarters for the reconstruction of research, development, and adaptation infrastructure for nuclear warheads."