Iran is moving to protect valuable nuclear equipment from future attacks after recent airstrikes crippled its main uranium enrichment facility, new satellite images reveal.
The images from the Institute for Science and International Security show that Iran has recently moved almost all of the 24 large ‘chillers’ away from their original buildings at the Natanz plant.
Chillers are industrial cooling units used to regulate the temperature of sensitive equipment, including centrifuges used in uranium enrichment.
If they are not ‘cooled’ the Uranium could explode.
The equipment has been scattered across the secured site, placed on helicopter pads and near water facilities to make them harder targets for bombers.
Since power is reportedly still down after recent Israeli bombings and the plant’s centrifuges are not running, international experts say this appears to be a way for Iran to protect the valuable equipment from future airstrikes while the site remains offline.
Tehran is essentially playing defense, experts say, trying to salvage what it can from its damaged nuclear program.
‘No doubt Tehran is still seething from the loss of their crown jewel: their uranium enrichment program at the hands of Israel and the U.S.,’ said Behnam Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Nuclear weapons expert David Albright, who has tracked secret nuclear programs for decades, says the satellite images reveal Iran’s deep fears about imminent attacks.
New satellite images from the Institute for Science and International Security show that Iran has recently moved almost all of the 24 large ‘chillers’ from the two HVAC buildings at its Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant
Of the 24 total chillers, 19 have reportedly been spread out across the secured area of the site, with some placed on helicopter pads, near water treatment facilities and in other locations
The president and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security, David Albright, tells Daily Mail he has spent a lifetime studying secret nuclear weapons efforts. He says that these new satellite images indicate Iran’s concern about future attacks
Despite the airstrikes in July targeting the three Iranian nuclear sites, assessments show that the impact appears limited
‘The movement of this equipment shows Iran appears worried about a new attack destroying even more centrifuge–related equipment,’ Albright told the Daily Mail, noting that the costly relocation proves the underground uranium enrichment plant ‘remains shut down.’
The move also raises new questions about the future of Iran’s nuclear program and how quickly it could resume enrichment activities.
During the height of the Iran–Israel war, Trump administration officials insisted Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure was left in ‘shambles’ and ‘completely and totally obliterated.’
In late June, Trump declared the strikes in their sites –– a ‘spectacular military success.’
However, a Pentagon intelligence assessment revealed the strikes caused less damage than initially believed.
While the July airstrikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, key equipment and underground bunkers – particularly at the heavily fortified Fordo facility – largely survived intact.
The assessment concluded that Iran’s nuclear program was only set back by months rather than completely destroyed, with some enriched uranium potentially remaining untouched.
The Daily Mail reached out to the State Department for a reaction to these new images.
U.S. Air Force B–2 Spirit stealth bomber lands after returning from Operation Midnight Hammer
Cameron Khansarinia from the National Union for Democracy in Iran says Iran’s efforts to protect and maintain its nuclear facilities prove the regime is determined to build a bomb ‘at any cost.’
Khansarinia warns that striking the Natanz and Fordo sites won’t stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions, predicting the regime could turn to rogue nations like North Korea to purchase weapons technology if blocked from domestic production.
One question experts can’t agree on is how long Iran’s nuclear program has been set back.
It’s complicated.
A study from the Institute for Science and International Security released late last month called ‘A Diagram of Destruction’ analyzes where Iran’s nuclear weapons program stands now after the strikes.
Their analysis explains that after the 12–day war, the sustained damage has pushed Iran’s timeline to develop a deliverable nuclear weapon back by one to two years.
Building a full nuclear arsenal, they report, including missile delivery systems, is expected to take even longer.
Before the war, Iran’s nuclear effort was vast and deliberately obscured, relying heavily on a network of scientists and engineers.
While remnants remain—such as uranium stockpiles and possibly unused centrifuges—the core of the program has been gutted.
Analysis from the Institute for Science and International Security explains that after the 12–day war, the sustained damage has pushed Iran’s timeline to develop a deliverable nuclear weapon back by one to two years
Experts warn that any renewed activity could be quickly detected and trigger fresh, potentially more devastating strikes.
Iran rejected recent European efforts to invoke ‘snapback’ sanctions, calling them legally baseless and politically destructive
During the height of the Iran–Israel war, former State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce repeatedly made comments during the briefings that President Trump remained the absolute decision–maker on Iran policy
Experts warn that renewed activity like this could be quickly detected and trigger fresh, potentially more devastating strikes.
Although the report focuses on uranium–based weapons development, it also notes that Iran’s plutonium pathway suffered damage, including strikes on the Arak reactor and related facilities.
NUFDI’s vice president says the only real solution to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions are regime–change, adding that the Iranian government is not to be trusted when it comes to foreign diplomacy and nuclear deals with the United States.
‘The problem is the finger on the trigger. The only way we will see an end to the Iran nuclear threat is if we see an end to the Islamic Republic ruling Iran and a return to a normal, peaceful government in Iran,’ Khansarinia said.
Tehran, meanwhile, is pushing back diplomatically.
A joint letter from China, Russia, and Iran slams Europe’s attempt to revive Iran sanctions as ‘illegal’ and ‘destructive.’
In the letter posted on ‘X’, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi rejected recent European efforts to invoke ‘snapback’ sanctions, calling them legally baseless and politically destructive.
Araghchi argued that it was the United States that first violated the 2015 nuclear deal, while European nations followed by aligning with unlawful sanctions.
Experts argue that while the attacks disrupted Iran’s program, they fell short of delivering a decisive blow. In the end, they call it a ‘partial victory’
Some foreign policy experts say the next Israel–Iran war could erupt before the end of the year.
Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, writes that Israel could launch another attack on Iran, possibly, before December.
‘Iran is expecting and preparing for the attack. It played the long game in the first war, pacing its missile attacks as it anticipated a protracted conflict,’ Parsi said.
Parsi argues that while the attacks disrupted Iran’s program, they fell short of delivering a decisive blow.
‘Trump did not ‘obliterate’ Iran’s nuclear program, nor has it been set back to a point where the issue can be considered resolved,’ he said.
In the end, he calls the results a ‘partial victory’ –– and warns that the next phase of conflict may be closer than many think.