Satellite images from recent months indicate a significant resumption of activity at the Minzadei complex, a facility northeast of Tehran that the Institute for Science and International Security says was used to develop nuclear weapons. Israel exposed and struck the site during Operation Roaring Lion.
According to the institute’s analysis, high-resolution satellite imagery captured by VANTOR Technologies in September and October 2026 shows a substantial renewal of activity at the complex, months after the Israeli strike.
The site was attacked on March 3, destroying several buildings and damaging underground infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the strike, Iran carried out an extensive cleanup operation, removing rubble and repairing damage to the hillside.
However, the latest images show a return to regular vehicle traffic throughout the complex, as well as ongoing earthworks in one of the areas damaged during the March attack.
Minzadei was one of several facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program targeted during the campaign. It was described as a “secret nuclear headquarters" on the outskirts of Tehran, alongside other nuclear sites and laboratories hit during the fighting.
As early as May, reports indicated that Tehran had restored its missile infrastructure faster than Western assessments had anticipated, reopening 50 of 69 blocked entrances at underground facilities. Satellite imagery at the time also showed active reconstruction at damaged missile production plants.
During Operation Roaring Lion, thousands of targets across Iran were hit. By the time the ceasefire took effect, Israel had carried out more than 10,800 strikes, dropping over 18,000 munitions and hitting approximately 4,000 targets and more than 6,700 components.
The IDF assessed during the campaign that nearly all facilities designated in advance as “vital and strategic" targets had been put out of operation.