Report: Iran Accelerates Missile Facility Repairs Compared to Nuclear

SadaNews - An analysis conducted by The New York Times of satellite images revealed that Iran has quickly repaired several ballistic missile facilities damaged in airstrikes last year. In contrast, its efforts have been limited to minor repairs at the main nuclear sites targeted by Israel and the United States.

This uneven pace of reconstruction suggests military priorities for Tehran at a time when the United States is mobilizing its forces nearby and as President Donald Trump considers launching new military action.

If the United States were to launch an attack, it is likely that Iran would retaliate with ballistic missiles targeting Israel and U.S. interests in the region.

The U.S. and Iranian sides held meetings in Oman on Friday in an attempt to avoid the outbreak of another conflict.

Experts closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear and missile programs have confirmed the validity of The New York Times analysis, which covered about twenty sites hit by Israel or the United States during the 12-day conflict in June. The newspaper found that construction is ongoing at more than half of those sites.

However, experts warned that the full extent of the repairs remains unclear, as satellite images only provide an aerial view of construction activities.

The images reviewed by the newspaper indicate that some repairs began shortly after the strikes at several missile facilities, suggesting that Iran has made missile production a short-term priority.

John Kifz, a consultant at the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction at the National Defense University in Washington, commented: “The threat to Israel and U.S. bases and allies in the region of missile attacks is one of the few options available to Iran to deter the repetition of strikes on its nuclear facilities.”

In contrast, experts mention that the images of the damaged main nuclear facilities show only partial repairs and that fortification efforts have only accelerated in recent months.

Western and Israeli officials found little evidence that Iran had made significant progress in rebuilding its ability to enrich nuclear fuel and manufacture a nuclear warhead.

Satellite images show that repair work has been carried out over the past few months at more than a dozen missile facilities, including production sites.

Intelligence estimates have concluded that Iran has largely rebuilt its ballistic missile program since the June attacks.

Sam Lear, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, stated: “The focus on rebuilding the missile program contrasts with what is happening in the nuclear program.”

Lear noted that the “Shahrud” missile testing facility appears to have been rebuilt remarkably quickly and is believed to have resumed operations within months of the strikes. He pointed out that when snow fell last month, it was quickly cleared from the roads at the facility and had melted off the roofs, indicating that the site is active.

He added: “Shahrud is their largest and newest solid fuel missile production plant, so it makes sense that it receives this level of attention.”

The White House’s National Security Strategy, published in November, states that the strikes “significantly degraded the Iranian nuclear program.” Experts say that despite some visible work, the three main enrichment facilities in Iran - Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow - appear to be idle.

Since December, Iran has built roofs in two of the facilities, making it difficult to determine whether any rebuilding is taking place inside the structures. Experts say this may mean it is trying to restore assets and equipment without being detected from the air, while a significant amount of surface damage that occurred in June remains visible.

At the Natanz nuclear complex (about 140 miles south of Tehran), which is considered Iran’s main uranium enrichment center, the damage visible in early December has been covered by a white roofing structure. The Institute for Science and International Security (a private group in Washington that tracks nuclear proliferation) identified the damaged building as the experimental enrichment facility for fuel.

At the Isfahan nuclear complex, the strikes destroyed several above-ground buildings, including uranium conversion facilities. A photo taken in December shows destroyed buildings that appear to have been covered with a roof.

Less than a mile from the above-ground Isfahan facility, new barriers have been installed at one entrance to a nearby mountain tunnel complex, which some experts believe may host a secret enrichment facility. At a new underground site located less than two miles from Natanz, known as "Mount Maul", tunnel entrances have been reinforced in recent months.

Joseph Rodger, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington, which monitors the Iranian nuclear program, said that until recently, it appeared that most activity around the nuclear sites was mainly directed towards assessing damage and stabilizing, such as removing debris and filling pits. He added: “We haven’t seen any intensive recovery efforts to try to extract equipment from these facilities.”

But Rodger warned that Iran still possesses a stockpile of enriched uranium - the fuel closest to being converted into materials suitable for making a bomb. U.S. and Israeli intelligence indicate that the enriched uranium buried in the three sites struck in June remains in place, seemingly buried and untouched.

The Institute for Science and International Security reported last week that it observed an increase in activity at the Isfahan nuclear complex in recent days, the most recent being to fill in the entrances to the tunnels with new soil.

David Albright, the head of the institute, indicated that the soil piling could be “in anticipation of an attack, implying that there is something of value inside,” possibly enriched uranium. Albright added that it was unclear what Iran is doing, “but there is increasing suspicion that they are reshaping their program to be able to build nuclear weapons... we do not believe it is urgent or imminent in any way.”

According to the newspaper, another significant visible development is at the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran, where Iran has tested high explosives that can be used as triggers for nuclear warheads. Recent images show that a large cylindrical chamber approximately 150 feet long appears to have been newly constructed at the site.

This site was not attacked in June, but was targeted by Israel in 2024. It has also been fortified with defenses such as anti-aircraft artillery, according to a recent report from the Institute for Science and International Security.

The report regarding the new chamber stated: "Although the intended purpose of the new facility cannot be determined through the images, the new construction indicates its strategic significance."