Israel and the US targeted Iran’s nuclear weaponization infrastructure rather than enrichment facilities during recent strikes, according to a new analysis of satellite imagery by the Institute for Science and International Security.

The strikes during Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury focused on development sites, weapons assembly complexes, and research universities tied to Iran’s efforts to weaponize enriched uranium—rather than the enrichment sites themselves, which had already been damaged in June 2025 strikes.

The Min Zadai complex, described by the IDF as a partially underground “nuclear headquarters,” was among the key targets struck on March 3. French reporting suggested the site housed metallurgy work on nuclear weapons cores. The heavily fortified Taleghan 2 facility within Iran’s Parchin military complex, used for nuclear weapons testing and explosives development, was also hit.

Universities serving as research hubs for Iran’s nuclear weapons program drew strikes as well. Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University, directly linked by Israel to nuclear weaponization efforts, and an adjacent laboratory building were heavily damaged. Imam Hussein University, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facility hosting underground weapons research connected to ballistic missiles, was struck on March 10.

The ISIS analysis identified at least seven targeted sites tied to nuclear weapons development, with the destruction of key weaponization infrastructure likely extending Iran’s timeline to complete nuclear weapons production, according to the institute.

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