Recent satellite imagery from Iran has shown that construction appears to be taking place at a secret tunnel complex adjacent to the Natanz nuclear facility, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security said Thursday, although there was no indication that Tehran had begun repairing damage caused by US and Israeli strikes at its main nuclear facilities.

According to the think tank, the underground enrichment halls at Natanz remain inaccessible, with damaged entrances, destroyed power systems and displaced HVAC chillers still unrepaired.

It said, however, that fresh satellite imagery from late last month indicated that the portion of the Natanz complex known as “Pickaxe Mountain,” or Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, has been the site of recent vehicle activity and construction, with workers appearing to be reinforcing tunnel entrances.

The underground site tunneled into a mountain near the main Natanz facility is thought to have been under construction since 2020, according to experts quoted by The New York Times last month.

The exact purpose of the site is not known, and inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have never been granted access.

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, there has been persistent activity at the site since April, when a ceasefire was declared in the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Since then, it said, Iran has partially filled some of the tunnel portals, blocking vehicles from accessing them, while a smaller tunnel complex within the site’s perimeter has been sealed. The contents of the sealed tunnels are unknown, it noted, but could be enriched uranium.

It said, however, that the vast majority of the Pickaxe Mountain facility did not yet appear to be operational.

Despite this, the think tank argued that any work carried out at the site........

© The Times of Israel