Washington/Tel Aviv: Commercial satellite imagery has captured what appears to be the first confirmed strike on an Iranian nuclear site since the US and Israel launched their air campaign against Tehran over the weekend, a leading independent policy institute reported on Monday.
The Institute for Science and International Security , founded by former UN nuclear inspector David Albright, said imagery produced by Colorado-based firm Vantor showed two strikes on access points to the underground uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.
The Natanz complex was previously targeted by the US in June 2025, but Monday’s findings suggest the current escalation has now directly hit Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
When Did the Strike Occur?
Albright stated that based on the satellite imagery reviewed by his group, the strikes appeared to have occurred sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning local time. He credited Ben Tzion Macales, an Israeli geo-analyst, as being the first to identify the satellite evidence.
Albright noted that he could not definitively determine whether the strikes were carried out by the United States or Israel, as both nations are engaged in the ongoing air operation that began early Saturday.
Three Buildings Destroyed
According to Albright’s report, the Vantor imagery reveals significant damage to the Natanz complex:
- Two personnel entrances leading to underground halls housing thousands of centrifuges have been destroyed.
- A third building covering the only vehicle access ramp to the underground facilities has also been leveled.
Even though the underground centrifuge halls were rendered inoperable by the US attack last June, the report suggests they may still have contained “recoverable centrifuges” or other sensitive equipment, explaining why they became targets.
IAEA vs. Iran: A War of Words
The findings appear to corroborate a statement by Reza Najafi, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) , who claimed on Sunday that Natanz had been hit. His assertion directly contradicted comments by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who told a board of governors meeting that the agency had no indication that “any of the nuclear installations … have been damaged or hit.”
Najafi pushed back sharply. “Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful, safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday,” he told reporters. When asked by Reuters which facilities were hit, he replied simply: “Natanz.”
Albright suggested the discrepancy likely stemmed from the timing of the imagery available to Grossi, who may have relied on pictures taken before the strikes captured by Vantor.
IAEA’s Limited Access
Grossi later acknowledged the difficulties in verifying the situation on the ground. He told a press conference that while the IAEA’s crisis-response center has been unable to reach Iran’s nuclear regulatory authorities, there has been some contact with Iranian officials.
“We are, of course, in conversation with Iran, but at the moment, it’s very limited. Until last Thursday, it was very intense,” Grossi said. He added that the IAEA currently has no staff in Iran and is relying on satellite imagery for monitoring.
Tehran has not permitted IAEA inspectors to return to its bombed facilities since the June 2025 attack.
Why Natanz Matters
The Natanz facility is one of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites, housing both above-ground and underground uranium enrichment plants. The underground halls targeted in the June attack contained thousands of centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium for use in either power plants or, if enriched to a higher degree, weapons.
Iran has consistently denied seeking a nuclear arsenal, but the strikes underscore that its nuclear infrastructure remains a primary target for Israel and the US, who allege Tehran was getting too close to weapons capability.
