US strikes spared Iran’s nuclear reactors, satellite images reveal

Recent satellite images and reports reveal that U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, conducted during Operation Midnight Hammer, caused significant damage but notably spared Iran’s most sensitive nuclear reactors. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that three key reactors at the Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Centre, including a Chinese-built miniature neutron source reactor using highly enriched uranium, remained undamaged. Officials suggest this was a deliberate decision by military planners to avoid potentially catastrophic radioactive leaks and global precedent from hitting operational reactors. The IAEA has raised concerns about the difficulty of monitoring Iran’s nuclear program amid ongoing military actions and is pressing Iran to disclose the locations of its enriched uranium stockpiles. Satellite imagery shows that the Fordow enrichment facility, built into a mountain near Tehran, sustained heavy damage with multiple large craters and blocked tunnel entrances, though the extent of internal damage remains uncertain. Experts note ambiguity over whether some damage was caused by strikes or preemptive Iranian measures. Overall, while the