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Iranian personnel have not made any visible attempts to access the Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC) or Natanz Enrichment Complex, according to satellite imagery originally published on July 9. The lack of access means that Iranian officials cannot assess the extent of the damage to the underground facilities at ENTC and Natanz with accuracy. Iranian personnel have not made visible efforts to rebuild or remove rubble from destroyed aboveground facilities at ENTC. The Institute for Science and International Security (the Institute) reported that it will take Iran time to begin rebuilding the ENTC‘s aboveground facilities, which house the destroyed uranium conversion facility and uranium metal production plant, because the bombing dispersed radiological and chemical material. The dispersion of this material will require Iran to deploy hazardous material (HAZMAT) teams first. Then Iran will need to remove rubble before any large-scale reconstruction can take place. The combination of the HAZMAT requirements and the removal of debris is a “lengthy and complicated“ process that will take Iran “some time” to complete, according to the Institute.

It will also take time for Iran to access ENTC’s underground facilities because it has not delivered any excavation equipment or heavy machinery to the site. The Institute reported that Iran would need to use machinery to remove approximately 20 meters of rubble and backfill from tunnel entrances to access the underground facilities located at the complex.

Key Takeaways:

• Iranian Nuclear Program: Iranian personnel have not made any visible attempts to access the underground areas of the Esfahan Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC) and Natanz Enrichment Complex as of July 9. The process to repair the ENTC’s facilities is “lengthy and complicated” due to the collapsed tunnel entrances and the need to check ENTC’s aboveground facilities for radiation hazards, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

• Iran-Russia Relations: Axios reported on July 12 that Russia has encouraged Iran to accept zero uranium enrichment demands while offering to provide Iran with 3.67 percent uranium for nuclear power and small quantities of 20 percent enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor and the production of nuclear isotopes. Iran is unlikely to accept a proposal that requires Iran to halt domestic uranium enrichment.

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