Iran rebuilds Fordow nuclear site after US bunker-buster strikes Satellite images reveal

Iranian construction crews have begun extensive surface work at the Fordow uranium enrichment facility just days after US B-2 bombers struck the underground site with powerful bunker-buster bombs, new satellite images from Maxar Technologies reveal.

The imagery, captured on June 27 and obtained by the New York Post, shows heavy equipment — including excavators and bulldozers — operating above the Fordow complex, where the US dropped 30,000-pound GBU-57 bombs as part of its coordinated strike last weekend. 

The photos also display large craters and surface punctures caused by the impact of the munitions.

Additional images show crews rebuilding damaged dirt roads leading to the underground facility and constructing new access routes. These efforts appear to be part of early reconstruction work aimed at restoring logistical access to the heavily damaged site.

Pre-strike satellite images also documented unusual activity in the 24 hours before the bombardment. Construction vehicles were observed moving unidentified materials from inside the Fordow site to a nearby location about half a mile away, raising questions about what may have been relocated in advance of the attack.

Officials confirmed there has been no nuclear contamination or fallout as a result of the strike. However, the facility's centrifuges are reportedly no longer operational. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Fordow sustained heavy damage.

"It has suffered enormous damage," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Radio France Internationale on Thursday, adding, “There is very, very, very considerable damage.”

While the full extent of the destruction and the impact on Iran’s nuclear program remain under assessment, US President Donald Trump stated that the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities had been “obliterated” and set back "by years.” He dismissed a leaked preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggesting there was only “low confidence” that the strikes had significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Following that leak, CIA Director John Radcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard publicly supported Trump’s assessment, insisting the strikes “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticised media outlets like CNN and The New York Times for “breathlessly” reporting on the leak, which he characterised as premature and unsubstantiated.

President Trump condemned the leak on social media, calling it part of a “Witch Hunt” and demanding accountability: “The Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologise to our great warriors, and everyone else!”

The Department of Justice has launched an investigation to determine the source of the leak and has vowed to prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law.

By Tamilla Hasanova