Following Trump's threats: Iran blocked entrances to nuclear facility at Mount Khojir with dirt

New satellite images reveal that Iran has blocked the access roads to the western tunnels at Mount Khojir, an underground facility near Natanz, with piles of dirt. The move was carried out following threats by US President Donald Trump to attack the site, and reports of centrifuges being moved into it. Now all four entrances to the compound are blocked to vehicle passage.

New satellite images reveal that Iran has blocked the access roads to the western tunnels at Mount Khojir, the underground facility near Natanz, with piles of dirt. This was reported today (Tuesday) to Walla. According to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), the move was carried out following threats by US President Donald Trump to attack the site and reports that centrifuges had been moved into it. Iran placed a series of dirt piles across the roads leading to the two western tunnel entrances in late July and early August. The blockages were visible in a satellite image from August 21 and remained in place as of September 11. The institute assesses that this is a defensive measure intended to prevent the rapid entry and exit of vehicles through the tunnel entrances. The step was taken after it was reported in late July that Iran had moved centrifuges to the facility following the war in June 2025. During that period, Trump publicly threatened that the US might attack Mount Khojir, considered one of the key remaining sites of Iran's nuclear program that was not damaged in previous strikes. Images from April and May showed that Iran had also partially filled the two eastern tunnel entrances with dirt. Now it appears that all four entrances to the compound do not allow vehicle passage. Iran will need to remove the dirt barriers to resume ground access to the facility. The institute noted that as long as the blockages remain in place, Tehran's ability to carry out construction work or other activity within the underground compound is significantly limited. Mount Khojir, located about two kilometers south of the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, includes a tunnel system carved deep into a granite ridge. Iran has previously claimed that the compound was intended for assembling centrifuges, but it has not been opened for inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its depth and fortifications have raised concerns that Tehran might use it in the future for uranium enrichment or other nuclear activities.