In the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s Photo Evidence, reporter Catherine Barnwell analyses newly released satellite images from Iran to assess the true scale of destruction wrought by America and Israel‘s joint bombing campaign.
From the strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to the devastating attacks on IRGC naval bases guarding the Strait of Hormuz, Barnwell scrutinises the evidence to establish whether Trump’s demand for total Iranian surrender can realistically be met.
One of the main aims of Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion and America’s Operation Epic Fury, launched Saturday February 28, was the total destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Before June 2025’s 12-day war, in which Israel strategically targeted the country’s nuclear sites, the regime was widely reported to be just one week away from producing weapons grade nuclear material.
Reporter Catherine Barnwell has analysed newly released satellite images from Iran to assess the true scale of destruction wrought by America and Israel’s joint bombing campaign
One of the main aims of Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion and America’s Operation Epic Fury, launched Saturday February 28 , was the total destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities
Barnwell analyses before and after satellite images of the site to establish whether Natanz has finally been put out of commission for good
The Natanz uranium enrichment plant was struck during the 12-day war, but Iran had worked to rebuild the facility, making it a primary target in the opening salvo of the joint American and Israeli campaign.
Barnwell analyses before and after satellite images of the site to establish whether Natanz has finally been put out of commission for good.
‘One of the main reasons Trump gave for launching the war was destroying Iran’s nuclear sites, thus preventing the regime from ever developing a nuclear weapon,’ she explains.
‘Natanz, in central Iran, is home to a major uranium enrichment plant. It turns low grade uranium, of the kind used in nuclear fuel, into weapons grade material used for bombs.
‘The site was heavily bombed by the US and Israel during the 12-day war, during which much of its equipment was likely damaged or destroyed. Since then, Iran worked to repair the facility, though it is unlikely to have returned to full operation.
‘That did not stop America and Israel from hitting it again. Satellite images taken on March 2 show the buildings concealing the vehicle and pedestrian entrances to the facility have been completely flattened.’
Natanz is believed to house Iran’s remaining supply of nuclear centrifuges, the sophisticated machines essential to the uranium enrichment process.
Listen to the full breakdown of Operation Epic Fury by subscribing to the Daily Mail World YouTube channel.
By striking the facility for a second time, America and Israel were determined to ensure that a desperate Iranian regime could not scramble to produce a nuclear weapon before its leadership was wiped out.
‘One of the biggest fears of the current war is that the Iranian regime could quickly try and turn whatever uranium it had into a bomb’, Barnwell said.
‘Before the 12-day war, Iran was thought to have a breakout time of just one week. That’s the time it would take to go from highly enriched uranium to weapons grade.
‘That almost certainly got longer after the 12-day war, but may well have remained short enough to worry the US and Israel.
‘Burying the highly enriched uranium and the centrifuges was a key objective, even if neither of them can be fully destroyed.’
While the satellite images reveal devastating damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Barnwell concludes that the question of whether the Islamic Republic remains capable of producing a nuclear weapon cannot yet be definitively answered.
What is clear is that for the first time in decades, the regime’s path to the bomb has never been longer or more uncertain.
Listen to the full breakdown of the strategic success of Operation Epic Fury by subscribing to the Daily Mail World YouTube channel.
