- Iran has resumed activity at the Minzadayi nuclear weapons development site near Tehran
- Satellite images show cleanup and repair efforts after Israeli air strikes in early 2026
- Vehicle traffic has returned to the compound's secure inner perimeter and car parks
Iran has resumed significant activity at a highly secure nuclear weapons development facility northeast of capital Tehran, just months after parts of it were severely damaged in an Israeli airstrike.
The development suggests that Tehran has hardened its position on giving up its nuclear weapons program, something that US officials have underlined as a condition for achieving a peace deal.
High-resolution satellite images captured by Vantor Technologies in early September shows that Iran has launched an extensive cleanup operation in Minzadayi locality in northeast of capital Tehran. Rubble of destroyed buildings has been cleared, a crater made by a fallen bomb on the compound's hillside has been repaired, and earth-moving equipment is actively working on a surface disguised as a courtyard.
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Significant vehicle traffic - including passenger cars and trucks - has returned to both the parking lots and the secure inner perimeter of the base, according to the satellite image obtained by US-based think tank Institute for Science and International Security.
At least three buildings were either destroyed or damaged in Israeli attacks in the initial days of the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran, on March 3, 2026. Some suspected underground structures were also likely impacted.
The Minzadayi compound was revealed by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) earlier this year. In a statement, the forces had said that a group of scientists worked on a key component for nuclear weapons systems at this covert facility.
According to statements released by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) earlier this year, Minzadayi was not a standard military base. It was a covert facility where a group of scientists.
According to Intelli Times, an independent centre focusing on Middle East security, the site was established in 2022 and serves as the "industrial nuclear headquarters" for the reconstruction of research, development, and adaptation infrastructure for nuclear warheads.
"The current renewed effort underway at this highly secure compound suggests that the work being conducted here is of top priority," the think tank said in a report published on October 6, 2026.
On February 28, 2026, US and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran with a stated mission of decapitating Iran's nuclear programme. The war has killed thousands of Iranians, saw attacks on American bases in the region, and severely affected oil flows through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
During peace talks earlier this year, the US demanded Iran to permanently halt high-level uranium enrichment and confirm it would never seek a nuclear weapon. Iran didn't agree, resulting in a breakdown of peace efforts.
