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3. NYT: Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Repaired Missile Sites Hit in 12-Day War

The New York Times reported on Friday that satellite imagery suggests Iran has rapidly repaired several ballistic missile facilities damaged during last year’s 12-day war, but has made only limited fixes to major nuclear sites struck by Israel and the United States.

The report suggests that the regime's immediate priority is a working arsenal of ballistic missiles that could threaten Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East in case of a war. The imagery reviewed by The Times indicates that some fixes came soon after the strikes at several missile facilities, suggesting that Iran has made missile production its short-term priority.

By contrast, experts say satellite images of Iran’s major nuclear facilities show only partial repairs and limited fortification, with reconstruction efforts accelerating only in recent months.

Experts who closely track Iranian nuclear and missile programs corroborated the analysis by The Times, which looked at around two dozen locations struck by Israel or the U.S. during the 12-day conflict last June. The report found construction work at more than half of them.

Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies told The Times that the Shahroud missile test facility appeared to have been rebuilt particularly quickly and that it was believed to have become operational again within months of the strikes. When snow fell last month, he noted, roads at the facility were quickly cleared and snow melted off roofs, suggesting the site is active.

“Shahroud is their largest and newest solid-propellant missile production plant,” he said. “So it makes sense that it got all of the attention.”

The experts cautioned that the full extent of the repairs remains unclear, given that satellite imagery offers only an aboveground view of the construction.