Satellite images show mysterious movement at Iranian site near Natanz nuclear facility: Report

Satellites have captured suspicious activities at a secret Iranian site at Mount Pickaxe, south of the Natanz nuclear facility. Photos taken by satellite imaging company Airbus Defence and Space, and analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security, show movements in the region from as early as April 22. According to a report, special soil is blocking the two eastern tunnel entrances of the underground complex to prevent vehicles from accessing them. However, this was not the case in earlier images. On April 1, the tunnel entrances were open. The image analysis further showed that the tunnel openings at both ends are not fully concealed. The material used is basically just blocking them enough to prevent the rapid entry or exit of vehicles from the underground complex. To gain access, heavy machinery would need to de deployed to remove the material, according to a report by Ynetnews.

The institute said that there is "no evidence of such blocking at the two western tunnel entrances". It added, "This activity raises significant questions, as this is a tunnel complex buried deep underground that could be used to protect valuable equipment or materials." The researchers had previously pointed out that the old tunnel entrances had been reinforced with concrete, suggesting something was likely placed inside the tunnels.

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Even though the US-Iran ceasefire remains in effect on paper, fire continues to be exchanged in the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, Iran accused the US ⁠of violating the ceasefire by targeting two ships in ⁠the Strait and attacking civilian areas. An oil tanker travelling from Jask towards the Strait of Hormuz and another vessel near the UAE’s Fujairah port came under fire, a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters claimed. Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it struck Iranian military infrastructure linked to attacks on US naval forces. It said that it specifically targeted missile and drone launch sites, command centres, and surveillance nodes. In response, Tehran hit three US Navy destroyers as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump claimed that the American forces destroyed the attackers. “They were completely destroyed along with numerous small boats, which are being used to take the place of their fully decapitated Navy,” he wrote on Truth Social.

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Iran confirmed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “wisely” overseeing all national affairs, and that all state actions are happening only after direct approval from the Ayatollah. However, he is yet to be seen in public since news emerged that he was gravely injured in the February 28 attack on the palace that killed his father, Ali Khamenei.