Commercial imagery indicates renewed construction at the Parchin military complex and the buried Pickaxe Mountain facility while negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program remain stalled.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran appears to have begun restoring portions of two facilities damaged during joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, according to newly reviewed satellite imagery that could deepen questions about whether Tehran is honoring an interim agreement to freeze its nuclear activities.
Commercial images obtained by CNN show new activity at the Parchin military complex and the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain site. Both locations were heavily attacked during the bombing campaign that began in late February.
The most visible reconstruction was detected at Parchin, where analysts observed work around blast openings created by the strikes. Images taken by early July showed mesh covering some of the holes, concrete work underway and mixer trucks operating at the complex.
David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, described the developments as “significant, new attempted reconstruction activity.”
The institute said earlier imagery suggested Iranian personnel were initially assessing damage and clearing debris. More recent images, however, indicated that the work had moved beyond temporary cleanup toward lasting repairs and additional reinforcement.
“While imagery from early June indicates damage assessment and clean-up… the newer imagery shows renewed activity at the impact holes for more permanent sealing as well as additional concrete hardening of the site,” the institute said in a report released Saturday.
The organization said the construction indicated that Tehran intended to recover capabilities damaged or destroyed during the strikes.
The work “shows a commitment by Iran to rebuild and reconstitute the capabilities previously lost, despite the immense damage at the site,” the report said.
Parchin has long drawn international scrutiny because of its military operations and suspected connection to Iran’s nuclear activities.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency were permitted to examine portions of the complex in 2004 and 2005. The following year, however, they reported being denied access to certain areas.
The site also includes missile-production facilities responsible for manufacturing weapons deployed throughout the Middle East.
Separate satellite imagery showed vehicles entering and leaving Pickaxe Mountain, another site damaged during the U.S.-Israeli campaign. The deeply buried complex has been suspected by Western intelligence agencies of having links to uranium-enrichment work.
Analysts said movement at the two facilities could violate the terms of the U.S.-Iran memorandum negotiated by the Trump administration.
That agreement requires Tehran to “maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program” during negotiations over a permanent accord.
The memorandum was reached after months of military strikes and established a broader 14-point framework between Washington and Tehran. Its terms included a cease-fire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a 60-day period for negotiations on a final agreement restricting Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran was required to suspend further nuclear activity during that period. In exchange, the United States agreed not to impose additional sanctions while discussions continued.
Those arrangements have since come under increasing pressure.
President Donald Trump declared the cease-fire effectively “over” after Iran attacked commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States responded with additional airstrikes and withdrew an authorization that had allowed Iran to export oil under the interim agreement.
Technical discussions aimed at producing a permanent nuclear settlement have largely stopped as military confrontations continue.
The apparent rebuilding at Parchin and Pickaxe Mountain adds another dispute to the deteriorating diplomatic process. Restoring damaged infrastructure could be interpreted as an attempt to reestablish activities that the memorandum required Iran to leave frozen while negotiations were underway.
Despite the movement at those two locations, analysts did not identify similar reconstruction at Iran’s principal declared nuclear facilities.
Satellite imagery showed no comparable rebuilding at Natanz, Fordow or Isfahan, all of which were also closely monitored following the bombing campaign.
The distinction leaves uncertainty over the scope and purpose of Iran’s current work. While activity at Parchin and Pickaxe Mountain suggests efforts to repair or preserve the sites, the images alone do not establish which specific capabilities Tehran is attempting to restore.
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