Satellite images suggest Iran is strengthening security around major military and nuclear sites, including locations that were previously hit by the US and Israel last year. The buildup comes as tensions rise and the possibility of a wider conflict between Tehran and Washington increasingly looms.
Rushed construction and fortification efforts are now underway at multiple bases across Iran, David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, said. Albright said on Tuesday that the more time Tehran is given to negotiate, the more opportunity it has to strengthen defenses around sensitive and covert locations—such as the newly constructed Taleghan 2—making them harder to detect or target.
Wider Conflict Looms
"Stalling the negotiations has its benefits: Over the last two to three weeks, Iran has been busy burying the new Taleghan 2 facility... More soil is available and the facility may soon become a fully unrecognizable bunker, providing significant protection from aerial strikes," Albright wrote on X.
"The Taleghan 2 facility lies within the secretive Parchin military complex, located about 20 miles southeast of Iran and which now appears to be completely covered by a "concrete sarcophagus," according to Institute analysis.
Satellite images of the site—believed to have hosted nuclear weapons–related tests for more than 20 years—now show that the facility has disappeared entirely, with the structure no longer visible at all.
The dramatic change suggests the location may have been deliberately dismantled or concealed to avoid detection.
Work at the Parchin complex began in 2024 after the site was hit by Israel, but satellite images taken later that year showed Iran moving quickly to shield the facility with a newly constructed metallic roof.
By Monday, the Institute for Science and International Security said the structure had been fully buried and was no longer visible from above. Analysts described the development as particularly concerning, especially after images captured in November appeared to show explosive materials being transported into the complex.
"High-explosive containment vessels are critical to the development of nuclear weapons," ISIS warned, "but can also be used in many other conventional weapons development processes."
Ready for Attack
Similar efforts to hide and protect sensitive sites were also spotted at the Isfahan complex, one of three Iranian uranium-enrichment facilities struck by the United States last June. Satellite images taken as recently as last week show that all three entrances to the underground tunnel system there are now completely buried.
The same pattern has emerged at the Natanz facility, home to Iran's other two enrichment plants, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.
Beyond nuclear sites, Iran has also stepped up repairs and fortification work at its missile bases in Shiraz and Qom, which were damaged during last year's 12-day conflict with Israel, according to the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center.
These moves come as tensions continue to rise between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Donald Trump has warned that military action remains on the table if a new nuclear agreement is not reached.
That message was reinforced on Wednesday by Chris Wright, who spoke during a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Paris. Wright said the US would never allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and made clear that America is prepared to take whatever steps it believes are necessary to prevent that outcome.
