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Iran Has Made Minimal Progress on Reconstituting Its Destroyed Nuclear Sites
(Institute for Science and International Security) David Albright - Five months after the 12-day war, our assessment is that the overall damage caused by airstrikes to numerous nuclear sites was extensive and, in many cases, catastrophic. Iran has since undertaken efforts to conduct clean up work at several sites. The main nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan were largely destroyed and have seen little significant activity since the war. A major exception is at the Esfahan mountain complex, where Iran has access to at least one of the three tunnel entrances. Overall, satellite imagery indicates that Iran does not appear able to enrich uranium in any significant manner or make gas centrifuges in significant numbers. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities, its facility to produce uranium hexafluoride (UF6), and its centrifuge manufacturing and research and development facilities remain severely damaged or destroyed. Iran appears to have made minimal progress on reconstituting its destroyed capabilities.