At least six Iranian nuclear sites were struck in recent US and Israeli attacks, with most of the confirmed or suspected targets linked to work associated with building a nuclear weapon, according to a new satellite imagery assessment by the Institute for Science and International Security.
The Washington-based institute said another three sites may also have been tied to nuclear activity, although there was not yet enough evidence to confirm that. Overall, it estimated that between six and nine of the recently attacked sites were nuclear-related.
The report’s most significant conclusion is that four to seven of those sites were directly, or potentially, involved in nuclear weaponisation, the process of turning enriched nuclear material into a functioning bomb.
Iran’s nuclear programme has long consisted of two tracks. One involves enriching uranium, which can be used for civilian nuclear power or, at far higher purity levels, for weapons. The second involves weaponisation work such as designing explosive systems, preparing uranium metal and developing bomb components, as per Iran International.
According to the Institute, the latest strikes focused heavily on that second track.
It said the recent phase of the conflict appeared aimed less at enrichment facilities, many of which were already badly damaged in earlier fighting, and more at degrading Iran’s ability to produce an actual weapon.
Across both phases of the war, the June 2025 conflict and the renewed fighting between February and April 2026, the Institute said between nine and 12 sites connected to nuclear weapons development had been targeted.
One of the most important sites identified was Min-Zadayi, a previously unknown complex east of Tehran.
Israeli officials described it as a covert nuclear facility where scientists were working on a key component of a weapons system. The Institute said later reporting suggested the site may have been involved in metallurgy work linked to producing the uranium metal core of a bomb.
Satellite imagery showed three large buildings destroyed, along with craters near hillside structures that may have been partially buried.
Another major target was Taleghan 2 inside the Parchin military complex, long associated with Iran’s former Amad Plan nuclear weapons programme.
The Institute said the site had been rebuilt and heavily fortified before being hit in March, with imagery suggesting the use of earth-penetrating munitions. As per the report’s findings, the facility may have housed high explosive containment chambers, equipment considered critical in the design of implosion-type nuclear weapons.
Other locations struck included sites near Mojdeh, also known as Lavisan 2, Malek Ashtar University, the Shahid Chamran Group complex and facilities at Imam Hussein University.
The attacks also damaged parts of Iran’s broader nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure, including the Arak heavy water plant and the Ardakan Yellowcake Production Plant.
Despite the scale of the strikes, the Institute said Iran’s nuclear challenge had not been eliminated.
Tunnel complexes near Natanz nuclear facility and Esfahan are still believed to contain much of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, including roughly 440 kilograms enriched to 60 per cent purity.
As per the Institute, Iran had sealed some tunnel entrances before the latest war and that much of the enriched uranium appears “bottled up” in places where movement would be easier to detect.
Furthermore, several nuclear scientists were killed, including senior figures linked to SPND (Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research), the military research organisation associated with Iran’s nuclear weapons-related work, making the overall picture one marked by great uncertainty and damage, though far from finality as its exact status remains unclear without international inspections.
