Iran has launched 'clean-up operation' to conceal nuclear weapons research, report warns

By Ciaran McGrath, Senior News Reporter

Holes caused by the June 22 US airstrike on the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant complex (Image: GETTY)

Iran has launched a rapid “clean-up operation” at a nuclear-linked site near Tehran, in what experts warn appears to be an attempt to conceal evidence of past weapons research. The assessment comes from the Institute for Science and International Security, an independent watchdog focused on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

Satellite images reviewed by the group show swift demolition and debris removal at the Mojdeh complex, also known as Lavisan II, suggesting Tehran is deliberately sanitising the facility ahead of potential inspections. The site has long been linked to the AMAD Plan, a nuclear weapons development programme that Western intelligence agencies believe officially ended in 2003.

An August 19, 2025, MAXAR Technologies image of the Mojdeh site (Image: Maxar)

Two Israeli airstrikes in mid-June caused severe damage to several buildings, including one connected to the Institute of Applied Physics and another suspected of housing the Shahid Karimi Group, a defence entity sanctioned by the United States for missile and explosives work.

Follow-up imagery from July and August shows that the damaged buildings have been completely razed and debris cleared.

Analysts say the speed and thoroughness of the operation indicate Iran is trying to prevent inspectors from obtaining evidence of nuclear weapons-related activity.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been in talks with Tehran to resume monitoring at key facilities, a process disrupted by regional conflict and US strikes on Iran’s main nuclear sites.

Meanwhile, Britain, France and Germany have indicated they are prepared to reimpose UN sanctions, citing Iran’s violations of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Tehran continues to insist its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, but experts warn that the clean-up at Mojdeh could seriously impede verification efforts and obstruct international attempts to ensure Iran is abiding by its nuclear obligations.

The Institute’s report said: "The rapid work by Iran to quickly demolish and clear the rubble of these important buildings appears to be an effort to sanitise the site and limit the availability of any possible future inspection from obtaining evidence of undeclared nuclear and nuclear-weapons related research and development activities that may have occurred there.

"Iran has previously sanitised sites to stonewall IAEA inspectors and hide its past nuclear weapons development work."