New satellite images of Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility reveal what appear to be heavy machinery covering up craters left by recent American airstrikes — suggesting renewed Iranian activity at one of the country’s most sensitive nuclear sites.
The images show excavators and a crane operating around impact sites at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant, which was bombed by American bombers using bunker-busting munitions on June 22, according to CNN.
These images indicate that Iran has not abandoned the facility, which remains one of the few sites in the country actively enriching nuclear material.
The images also support a U.S. intelligence assessment that the strikes failed to destroy the core components of Iran’s nuclear programme, contradicting claims by the Trump administration that the nuclear sites had been fully destroyed.
Iran Reaffirms Commitment to Nuclear Treaty
On Thursday, Iran reaffirmed its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which it signed in the 1970s, despite announcing a suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following Israeli and American strikes on its facilities.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Iran remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” responding to a statement from the German Foreign Ministry criticising Iran’s decision. He added, “Germany’s explicit support for the bombing of Iran only reinforces the perception that the German regime holds nothing but malice towards Iranians.”
On Wednesday, Iran formally suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, citing the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
In a statement on X, the German Foreign Ministry urged Iran to “reverse this decision,” warning that it sends a “catastrophic signal.” The statement added that the decision “removes any possibility for international oversight of Iran’s nuclear programme, which is critical for reaching a diplomatic solution.”
Criticism of German Support for Israeli Strikes
Araghchi criticised “Germany’s explicit support for Israel’s unlawful attack on Iran” on June 13, which resulted in the killing of Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.
On June 17, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated during the G7 Summit that Israel was carrying out a “dirty job… on behalf of us all” by targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
12-Day Conflict and Iranian Response
The 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which drew in the United States in support of its ally, saw unprecedented strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
In response to the Israeli strikes, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles, resulting in 28 deaths in Israel, according to official figures.
