Experts ‘deeply’ concerned over Iran’s work at underground nuclear site
A leading American institute researching the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded the alarm this week about the regime’s unmonitored underground site in the Zagros Mountains.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were not allowed to visit the secret site known as Mount Kazma.
The highly fortified facility raises serious doubts about Iran’s willingness to comply with the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. United States, with israelOn February 28, 2026, it launched Operation Epic Fury, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that stopping work on Mount Pickaxe and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be an important good faith measure for testing Is Iran prepared? abandoning the cheating pattern.
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A satellite image shows an overview of the Mount Kazma tunnel complex in Natanz.
(Reuters Photos)
Spencer Faragasso is one of the senior members of the group who does the cover. Iran, North KoreaAn official covering illicit trade and nuclear issues wrote on
Iran used facilities in Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan to enrich uranium, the main ingredient of its nuclear weapons program.
Faragasso added: “If Iran is serious about negotiating, it should stop construction on Mount Kazma as a sign of good faith. So what can be expected from a regime as brutal and collaborative as Iran’s?”
The institute has published a detailed analysis of new satellite images showing ongoing activity at Mount Kazma from late June 2026.
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“At Mount Pickaxe, vehicular activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of the Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction within the tunnel complex and hardening of the tunnel entrance is continuing,” the institute wrote. signed between United “States and Iran demand that Iran maintain the status quo, which should prohibit the construction of any nuclear-related facilities, including Mount Kazma.”
In late June, the IAEA declined to answer a detailed question from Fox News Digital about whether it would seek access to the Mount Ida facility. According to satellite images obtained by the institute, “There is little activity on Natanz. The access points to the underground enrichment halls have not been repaired.
“Personnel entrances have been destroyed and vehicle entrances have been seriously damaged. A single vehicle can be seen on the road outside the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which was demolished in June 2025 but was later closed by Iran.”
As US-Iran talks began in Switzerland on Sunday, a dispute emerged over who controls and supervises unfrozen Iranian assets.
The institute also said, “As of June 29, 2026, no activity was observed in Isfahan. The tunnel entrances are filled with soil.” ISIS followed developments in the Fordow region, buried in a mountain north of the holy Islamic city of Qom.
“At Fordow, as previously reported by the Institute, between May 10 and May 18, Iran added passive defensive measures in the form of earth/rock mounds and other objects to the roads leading to the tunnel entrances. The alternative placement of the piles/objects is very sensitive, creating a series of subterfuges, indicating that they were not designed as obstacles, but rather were intended to prevent the rapid entry and exit of any vehicle into the tunnels.”
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The institute added: “The June 21 Vantor image shows that objects found along the road remain there. The tunnel entrances at Fordow are also filled with soil.”
Fox News Digital submitted questions Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran’s Mission to the United Nations.
Original article source: Experts are ‘deeply concerned’ about Iran’s work in its underground nuclear field
