New satellite imagery indicates that Iran is rebuilding parts of its former nuclear weapons development site, known as Taleghan 2, within the Parchin military complex near Tehran. The facility was destroyed during an Israeli air strike on 25 October 2024, but construction resumed in mid-May 2025, months after the June 12-Day War.According to imagery analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security, a temporary black cover was first placed over the destroyed building by late May. By June, groundwork and foundations had been laid, and by August 30, 2025, a new arch-roofed structure measuring roughly 45 by 17 metres was under construction.
Two smaller buildings, each about 20 by 7 metres, were built on either side of it, and by late September, a third arched structure had been added. Analysts say the layout of these buildings appears designed for blast mitigation, suggesting an intent to bunker the site against future air attacks.
Construction of a support facility, located about 200 metres away, was also detected along the eastern perimeter road near Taleghan 1. While the precise purpose of this construction remains unclear, the rebuilding of a site once linked to Iran’s Amad Plan—the regime’s pre-2004 nuclear weapons programme.
What is the Taleghan 2 Facility ?
The Parchin complex, about 30km east of Tehran, has long been associated with Iran’s nuclear and missile research. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found traces of uranium particles at a neighbouring site, Taleghan 1, in 2016, prompting questions about secret nuclear work. However, the agency was never granted access to Taleghan 2.Before its destruction, Taleghan 2 reportedly housed experiments related to multipoint initiation systems—explosive arrangements used to compress a uranium-metal core and trigger a nuclear chain reaction. Israeli intelligence revealed through documents seized in 2018 that such testing was part of Iran’s early nuclear weapons design.Despite this, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in November 2024 that the agency did not classify Taleghan 2 as a nuclear facility. “We do not have any information that would confirm presence of nuclear material there,” he said. Grossi also remarked that while Israel “may have information” about concerning activities, the IAEA itself did not.The Nuclear Threat Initiative describes Parchin as a large complex engaged in chemical weapons production, laser enrichment experiments, and high-explosive testing. It is also suspected of housing missile assembly lines using North Korean technology. The site has suffered repeated accidents and strikes, including a May 2022 explosion and a June 2025 Israeli attack that damaged several structures.Also read: Ceasefire over? Israel drops 153 tonnes of bombs on Gaza; Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘campaign not over’
Renewed tensions
Israel’s strikes on Iranian military infrastructure in late 2024 and mid-2025 destroyed multiple missile and air-defence sites, including Parchin and Khojir, a nearby missile production hub. Experts believe these attacks significantly weakened Iran’s rocket capabilities but may have pushed Tehran to harden and conceal its nuclear infrastructure.The rebuilding of Taleghan 2 has reignited debate over the effectiveness of past diplomatic efforts—from the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) to ongoing IAEA oversight—in curbing Iran’s ambitions. Former IAEA official Olli Heinonen said it was “hard to understand” why inspectors never visited Taleghan 2 despite its clear connection to nuclear weapons work.
Khamenei hits back at US
The United States will not permit Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons, a White House official told Iran International on Monday, shortly after Iran’s Supreme Leader suggested Washington has no authority over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.“President Trump has always been clear: the world’s number one state sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon,” the official said in response to Ali Khamenei’s comments.Khamenei, 86, stated that the US is in no position “to dictate whether a country should or should not have a nuclear industry,” adding, “What does it have to do with America whether Iran has nuclear facilities or not? These interventions are inappropriate, wrong and coercive.”Rejecting renewed talks, he said, “He claims to be a man of deals, but if a deal is accompanied by coercion and its outcome is predetermined, it is not a deal but an imposition and bullying. The Iranian nation will not bow to such impositions.”(With inputs from agencies)
