Israel and the US prioritized the degradation of Iran's nuclear weaponization abilities during Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury over the targeting of nuclear enrichment sites, an Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) analysis of satellite imagery revealed on Thursday. According to the analysis, little new damage was dealt to Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities already destroyed in strikes carried out during the 12-day war in June of 2025. Instead, facilities and infrastructure related to the weaponization of enriched uranium, such as development sites, were targeted.
One such target analyzed by the institute was the Min Zadai site, which is suspected to have played a key role in Iran's attempts to recover nuclear weapons capabilities after the June 2025 strikes. On March 3, the IDF announced strikes on the complex, describing the site as a partially underground “nuclear headquarters" where nuclear scientists were developing key components for nuclear weapons systems.
Reporting by the French newspaper Le Monde suggested that the Min Zadai complex was involved in the metallurgy of nuclear weapons cores. Another such site is Taleghan 2, a highly fortified facility within Iran’s Parchin military complex that has been used in Iran’s nuclear weapons testing and development of advanced explosives.Universities with connections to Iran’s development of nuclear weapons were also targeted. Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University, which the IDF directly tied to nuclear weaponization, and an adjacent laboratory-type building connected to the university by a footbridge, were heavily damaged in strikes. (Read More)
