New satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz," Albright wrote in a post on X.

New satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz. The 24 chillers in total are being dispersed throughout the inside of the…

— David Albright (@DAVIDHALBRIGHT1) September 1, 2025

Albright, one of the leading experts on the Iranian nuclear issue, explained that the Iranians are utilizing the interim period when the facility is not operational. "The purpose of this removal and dispersal being that they are of high value, and since there is no electric power due to the Israeli bombings, and the centrifuges are currently inoperable, this is a tactic to make the chillers less vulnerable to future aerial bombardment in the interim."

Recent satellite imagery of the Natanz enrichment plant shows that Iran has in the last week removed and dispersed nearly all of the "chillers" from the two HVAC buildings at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz. Nineteen out of 24 chillers in total have been dispersed throughout… pic.twitter.com/V6lYYAl6Jb

— David Albright (@DAVIDHALBRIGHT1) September 2, 2025

He stated that some of the chillers were positioned on helicopter landing pads, others were relocated to the water purification facility area, and the remainder were scattered in various places throughout the complex. This, in light of the fact that the US exploited the ventilation systems of the Fordo nuclear site in its effort to compromise the underground enrichment halls beneath the mountain when it bombed the site with B-2 aircraft.

Natanz, situated approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Tehran, formed the core of the Iranian nuclear program with around 18,000 centrifuges. The Israeli and American strikes inflicted severe damage on the facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency assessed at the war's outset that the impact on the surface facilities disabled the power grid and damaged the centrifuges in the subterranean halls. Subsequent American attacks later struck these halls directly.

The hurried evacuation at Natanz is taking place amid the escalating nuclear crisis. Since the war began, Iran has denied access to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency who sought to visit the attacked facilities. This denial was a key factor that prompted Britain, France, and Germany last week to trigger the "snapback" mechanism, which will reimpose international sanctions within 30 days.

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The agency reported on Thursday that, according to Israeli intelligence, Iran failed to relocate enriched uranium from its Fordo Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities prior to the coordinated strikes by Israel and the United States during Operation Rising Lion in June.

The assessment highlights that while the uranium at Isfahan remains potentially accessible, Iran faces significant obstacles in retrieving it under current conditions.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to address concerns regarding Iran. The Prime Minister's Office stated, "During the visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a professional meeting with Secretary Hegseth and his team, addressing key security issues – including countering the Iranian threat, regional security cooperation, and strengthening the strategic ties between Israel and the United States."

The US Department of Defense said, "Secretary Hegseth expressed appreciation for the brave US soldiers who carried out the operation in Iran, which ended the 12-day war and fulfilled President Trump's vision of peace through strength." Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' commitment under President Trump to back Israel and block Iran's path to nuclear weapons.

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Why Fordow matters – and how it differs from Natanz

To grasp Fordow's critical importance, it helps to compare it with Natanz. The latter is a sprawling complex housing over 19,000 centrifuges, and according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), could potentially accommodate up to 50,000. However, Natanz has a key vulnerability – it is buried just eight meters below ground. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, its surface buildings were completely destroyed in a previous attack. While the underground halls remained intact, the damage to its electrical systems suggests possible harm to the centrifuges.

Fordow, however, is a different story. With about 3,000 centrifuges spread across two halls, it is much smaller – but it is buried 80 to 90 meters underground, inside solid rock. While Natanz enriches uranium to low levels (3–5%), Fordow is Iran's main site for higher-level enrichment – up to 60%, and traces of uranium enriched to 83.7% were recently detected there, dangerously close to the 90% level required for nuclear weapons. In essence, Fordow serves as Iran's "insurance policy" for its nuclear program, a secure site where the regime could rapidly move to weapons-grade enrichment if it decides to pursue a bomb.

Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of fissile material – a specific isotope of uranium found only in small quantities in mined ore. High-speed centrifuges separate heavier particles from lighter ones, and the resulting gas is then converted back into metal. For weapons production, the fissile material is shaped into a sphere and combined with a triggering mechanism to form a nuclear bomb.

Satellite imagery underscores why Fordow poses such a major challenge to Israel and others concerned with Iran's nuclear ambitions. Winding roads lead directly into tunnels dug into the mountain, giving access to the underground centrifuge halls. Most of the facility – including thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium to near-weapons grade – is hidden deep within rock, shielded in a way that makes it virtually invulnerable to standard aerial assaults.

A secret revealed

Originally a missile base run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Fordow's conversion into a nuclear enrichment site began around 2006–2007, according to Western intelligence. For years, its existence was kept secret until the US, UK, and France exposed it in September 2009 after it was detected by intelligence services. Iran was forced to acknowledge the site to the International Atomic Energy Agency, claiming it was for civilian purposes.

But nuclear archive documents seized by Israel in 2018 told a different story: Fordow – referred to as "Project Al-Ghadir" – was planned as part of the "Amad Project," Iran's covert nuclear weapons development program.

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Video: The scene of the missile strike on Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025 / Credit: Usage under Israel's intellectual property law section 27a

The missile barrage from Iran caused at least 20 casualties, including two with serious casualties. The barrages included about 30 missiles in the first barrage to central Israel and the coast, followed by another five fired several minutes later to northern Israel and Samaria.

Video: The scene of the missile strike on Tel Aviv on June 22, 2025 / Credit: Usage under Israel's intellectual property law section 27a

First responders were evacuating people who were injured in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Rehovot, and Ness Ziona. At least three of the injured were children.

Central Tel Aviv residential area pic.twitter.com/zeJinusM3i

— ‏Tal Schneider טל שניידר تال شنايدر (@talschneider) June 22, 2025

The Magen David Adom rescue service reported receiving approximately ten reports of impact sites across Israel. Several casualties reported, mostly with light injuries, but two were in serious condition.

Video: The scene of the missile strike on Haifa on June 22, 2025 / Credit: Usage under Israel's intellectual property law section 27a

The Israeli military confirmed detecting dozens of launches from Iran, triggering sirens across the country. Home Front Command issued alerts for the north and central regions as air defense systems engaged the incoming threats.

Israelis were allowed to leave the shelter at around 8:20 p.m., some 30 minutes after the first volley.

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"A short time ago, in full coordination between myself and President Trump, and in full operational coordination between the Israel Defense Forces and the United States military, the United States attacked Iran's three nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan," Netanyahu announced. According to the prime minister, the United States continued "with greater intensity and tremendous force" the IDF and Mossad strikes on Iran's nuclear program.

Netanyahu revealed that immediately after completing the operation, President Trump called him for a "very warm, very moving" conversation. "He blessed me, he blessed our military and he blessed our people. And I blessed him, the United States pilots and the American people," the prime minister recounted.

The prime minister defined the American president as "courageously leading the free world" and "a tremendous friend of Israel, a friend like no other." "In my name and on behalf of all Israeli citizens, on behalf of the entire Jewish people, I thank him from the depths of my heart," Netanyahu added.

Video: Netanyahu's video message in English / Credit: PMO

According to the prime minister, Iran's nuclear program "threatened our very existence and also endangered world peace." He emphasized that Operation Rising Lion achieved "unprecedented accomplishments in Israel's history."

Netanyahu concluded his remarks with the message "We stand together, we fight together, and with God's help – we win together," and quoted from the weekly Torah portion – "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30).

In a separate video message in English, Netanyahu delivered a triumphant and deeply grateful message to US President Donald Trump, hailing the American-led bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities as a "bold decision that will change history."

The address came just hours after initial reports of a massive, targeted military operation against key Iranian nuclear sites, an action Netanyahu attributed directly to the "awesome and righteous might of the United States."

"Congratulations President Trump," Netanyahu began, speaking with clear conviction. "Your bold decision... will change history."

The Israeli leader, who has for decades warned of the existential threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran, framed the American military strike as a monumental turning point for global security. He praised President Trump's leadership in a way that he said even surpassed Israel's own celebrated covert operations.

"In tonight's action against Iran's nuclear facilities, America has been truly unsurpassed," Netanyahu stated. "It has done what no other country on earth could do."

Throughout the speech, Netanyahu repeatedly justified the strike, casting it as a necessary act to disarm a malevolent force. "History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons," he declared, his voice rising with emphasis.

The address positioned the dramatic military action as the ultimate fulfillment of the "peace through strength" doctrine, a philosophy Netanyahu noted he and President Trump often discuss.

Video: President Donald Trump announces the strike on Iran on June 22, 2025 / Credit: White House

"First comes strength, then comes peace," he said, before adding, "And tonight, President Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength."

The prime minister's remarks represent the culmination of years of Israeli lobbying and intelligence-sharing aimed at convincing the world, and particularly the United States, to take decisive action against Tehran's nuclear ambitions. For Netanyahu, the night's events were a profound validation of his long-held stance.

Concluding his address, the Prime Minister offered a sweeping message of thanks that encompassed not only the leaders but the people of both nations and the broader cause of global order.

"President Trump, I thank you. The people of Israel thank you. The forces of civilization thank you," he said. "God bless America, God bless Israel, and may God bless our unshakable alliance, our unbreakable faith."

The speech leaves no doubt about the Israeli government's full-throated support for the U.S. action, positioning the two allies as lockstep partners in what Netanyahu has defined as a pivotal moment in the history of the Middle East.

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Ehud Eilam, who previously conducted research for Israel's Ministry of Defense, outlined multiple potential approaches Israel could employ against the mountain-buried facility. The former defense researcher suggested Israel might deploy numerous smaller penetrating munitions to burrow into Fordow's defenses, employing tactics similar to those used in the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an underground bunker beneath Beirut, The Wall Street Journal reported. Alternative scenarios include high-risk special operations missions or covert methodologies such as cyber warfare and targeted assassinations of key personnel.

The most promising option for neutralizing Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear installation centers on an American-made weapon system that has never been deployed in combat operations, military analysts told The Wall Street Journal. The GBU-57 – commonly known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator – represents a 30,000-pound armament encased in high-density steel alloy engineering, specifically designed to penetrate 200 feet of mountain rock before detonation.

Defense experts emphasized that this massive bunker-penetrating weapon offers the optimal chance of successfully breaching targets such as the Fordow uranium-enrichment complex, which Iranian engineers constructed beneath mountainous terrain. The weapon's existence has fueled widespread speculation regarding potential US involvement in any Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear infrastructure.

"This is really what it was designed for," Mark Cancian explained to The Wall Street Journal. Cancian, who previously coordinated target-weapon matching for military operations and later served at the Pentagon overseeing procurement and budgeting for programs including the MOP, emphasized the weapon's specific purpose. Before the development of specialized bunker-penetrating munitions, military planners considered nuclear weapons as the primary method for destroying mountain-protected targets, but such options were deemed politically unacceptable, Cancian noted. He currently serves as a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

When questioned aboard Air Force One regarding guarantees that US-manufactured bombs could successfully reach and destroy Iran's underground nuclear bunkers, Trump responded candidly. "There's no guarantee in anything," the president stated, according to The Wall Street Journal. Simultaneously, Trump delivered a stern warning to Iranian leadership, emphasizing that any attacks on American military personnel stationed in the region would trigger a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. "We'll come down so hard, it'd be gloves off," Trump declared.

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Two days ago, Israel Hayom revealed these conditions, which include Iran's agreement to halt all uranium enrichment on its soil, the destruction of all nuclear facilities not related to civilian purposes – including Fordow – and all centrifuge facilities, as well as strict and continuous oversight of any remaining facilities. The ultimatum reportedly comes with a deadline of just a few days, with a warning that if Iran does not comply, the United States will continue to support Israel and ensure the destruction of these facilities, particularly Fordow.

Israel is pushing for additional conditions to address Iran's ballistic missile systems and its support for terrorist organizations outside its borders. It remains unclear whether these will be included. According to an Israeli official, the Israeli Air Force is currently engaged in intensive strikes targeting Iran's ballistic missile systems, nuclear facilities, and regime infrastructure, with these operations expected to reach their peak in the coming days. Regarding the Fordow facility – the most significant challenge – it is still uncertain how the underground site, where critical bomb components are stored, will be neutralized.

President Trump is expected to decide whether to join Israel in an attack on Iran, particularly targeting Fordow, where B52 bombers and bunker-busting bombs would be used to destroy the facility. Opponents in the United States are primarily concerned about potential retaliatory attacks on oil fields and facilities in neighboring Persian Gulf states, such as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Leaks in the American media from these opponents have suggested that Iran was not actually close to developing a nuclear bomb and included a warning to Israel about depleting stocks of Arrow missiles. Both claims are far from reality.

Security officials state that, due to significant damage to Iran's missile launchers, Israel's missile inventory remains sufficient for many more days of fighting, with replenishment occurring at a rapid pace. Regarding Iran's military nuclear program, Israel Hayom reported that the Mossad and Britain's MI6 have confirmed that Iran has made rapid strides in recent months toward completing the trigger and mechanism needed for a nuclear bomb.

An American official noted that, alongside the ultimatum, military preparations continue – both for defensive and potential offensive actions. The official emphasized that the primary task is protecting American facilities and interests in the region, including ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close. A significant portion of the world's oil supply passes through this strait. The official added that other Western and Middle Eastern countries are involved in these efforts.

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"The right amount of uranium enrichment for the world's largest state sponsor of terror is zero ... There is no legitimate reason for Iran to resume enrichment at this previously clandestine site," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters.

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The UN atomic watchdog and Iran itself said this month Tehran is again enriching uranium at the sensitive site, which Iran hid from UN non-proliferation inspectors until its exposure in 2009.

While European countries have tried to salvage the 2015 nuclear nonproliferation agreement, Iran has increasingly distanced itself from the accord since the United States withdrew last year.

The pact requires Iran to restrain its enrichment program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions, and it called for Fordow to be converted into a nuclear, physics and technology center.

Despite its withdrawal, the Trump administration has granted sanctions waivers that allowed foreign firms to do work in Iran that advanced non-proliferation. Those included Russia's Rosatom at Fordow.

Pompeo said the waivers will end on Dec. 15. The State Department had said last month that it renewed waivers for 90 days.

Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham and Liz Cheney praised the decision and called on the Trump administration to also end the waiver for the Arak heavy water reactor, where Chinese state-owned China National Nuclear Corp has operated.

"There is no justification for extending that waiver in light of recent confirmation that Iran is violating its heavy water obligations, let alone for letting Iran continue to build up its program – not at Fordow, and not at Arak," the senators said in a statement.

Kelsey Davenport, director of the Arms Control Association, said Monday's decision could further jeopardize the nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"This step further risks collapsing the JCPOA because it removes a tangible benefit to Iran under the deal," Davenport said.

Pompeo also called on Iran to end violence against protesters, as demonstrations have spread across the Islamic republic since Friday. Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned on Monday of action if unrest over gasoline price hikes does not cease. At least 100 banks and dozens of buildings and cars have been torched, state media reported.

"We condemn strongly any acts of violence committed by this regime against the Iranian people and are deeply concerned by reports of several fatalities," Pompeo said.

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Under the deal between Iran and major powers, Iran agreed to turn Fordow into a "nuclear, physics and technology center" where 1,044 centrifuges are used for purposes other than enrichment, such as producing stable isotopes, which have a variety of civil uses.

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The pact allows Iran only to spin the centrifuges at Fordow, located inside a mountain near the Shi'ite holy city of Qom, without injecting gas. Uranium gas injection could allow the production of enriched uranium, which is banned at the facility under the pact.

"Starting from Wednesday, gas will be injected into centrifuges at Fordow as part of part of our fourth step to reduce our nuclear commitments to the deal," Rouhani said in a televised speech.

He did not specify what kind of gas will be injected into centrifuges at Fordow. However, the move would be a breach of the deal because nuclear material is banned from Fordow.

The measure will further complicate the chances of saving the accord, which European powers have called on Iran to respect.

"The announcement by Iran on November 5 to increase its enrichment capacity goes against the Vienna agreement, which strictly limits activities in this area," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said.

Iran said on Monday it had accelerated enrichment by doubling the number of advanced IR-6 centrifuges in operation, adding that it was working on "a prototype called the IR-9, which works 50-times faster than the IR-1 centrifuges".

Rouhani gave another two-month deadline to Britain, France and Germany to salvage the deal by protecting Iran's economy from crippling US sanctions reimposed in May after Washington's withdrawal from the deal.

"We can't unilaterally accept that we completely fulfill our commitments and they don't follow up on their commitments," Rouhani said.

In reaction to Washington's "maximum pressure" policy, Iran has gradually scaled back its commitments to the deal, under which it curbed its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions.

Tehran, however, says talks are possible if Washington lifts sanctions and returns to the deal.

"All these measures are reversible if other parties fulfill their commitments ... We should be able to sell our oil and to transfer its money into the country," Rouhani said, referring to US sanctions on Iran's oil and banking sectors.

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The Trump administration, which last year pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, will let the work go forward by issuing waivers to sanctions that bar non-US firms from dealing with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the sources on condition of anonymity.

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While the waivers' renewal would allow non-proliferation work to continue at the Arak heavy water research reactor and the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, which the AEOI monitors, it may also signal that Washington is leaving the door open to diplomacy.

Under the 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States –Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions that had crippled its economy.

When US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the deal in May 2018, he re-imposed US sanctions in a "maximum pressure" campaign designed to force Iran to return to the negotiating table.

Trump wants a broader deal that would also limit Iran's missile program as well as its regional activities; Iran has demanded that the United States first resume complying with the 2015 deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

France, in particular, has sought to bring the two into a wider dialogue but has so far failed, suggesting neither is yet willing to abandon core elements of policy: the US belief that pressure will bring Iran to its knees, and Iran's refusal to capitulate to US pressure.

Under the 2015 deal, the Arak reactor was to be redesigned to render it unable to make bomb-grade plutonium under normal operation, while the Fordow plant was to stop enriching uranium and be converted into a nuclear, physics and technology center.

Chinese state-owned China National Nuclear Corp has done non-proliferation work at Arak, and Russia's Rosatom has done it at Fordow. Rosatom has also provided uranium fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

The US State Department had no immediate comment. Rosatom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A China National Nuclear Corp spokesman told Reuters on Thursday by email that it was "starting to cooperate with the Iranian side under guidance from Beijing on seeking a positive solution to the Iran nuclear problem." It did not provide further details.

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