Imagery Update: New Construction at Golab Dareh November 2024

Institute for Science and International Security Report Imagery Update: New Construction at Golab Dareh November 2024 By David Albright, Spencer Faragasso, and the Good ISIS Team November 14, 2024 Recent high resolution satellite imagery acquired by the Institute shows new construction at Golab Dareh, a former nuclear weapons development site used by Iran during the Amad Plan nuclear weapons project in the early 2000s. An earlier Institute report from early September 2024 discussed reactivated and accelerated activities at this site and another important Amad Plan site, Sanjarian.1 While renewed activity could be visually detected at Sanjarian, the earlier study could not find visual evidence of activity at Golab Dareh. This new imagery adds visual credence to the assertion by our sources about renewed activity there. The construction visible in newer commercial satellite imagery consists of new security upgrades in the form of trench excavations, possibly for the laying of cabling stretching from a security checkpoint into two explosive storage bunkers and Golab Dareh’s explosive fire control bunker (see Figure 1). If indeed for the purpose of cable installation, such cabling would likely be used for security purposes, such as alarms or surveillance cameras. The excavations likely began in late September or early October and extended throughout the month (see Figure 2). Figure 3 shows a zoomed in, detailed image of the site and its construction. While satellite imagery has not shown the presence of vehicles or personnel inside the Golab Dareh complex, this new activity indicates that the site, and its security, remains important. Moreover, it shows that the site has not been abandoned, which is also consistent with the recent reporting of renewed operations. Renewed activity has raised concerns that the sites could be bridging technical gaps in Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The September report described that the activities at both sites were allegedly being conducted by experts who had participated in Amad’s weaponization work and are now at the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (aka SPND). SPND, which evolved from the Amad Plan and still holds many of Amad’s personnel and material assets, is widely viewed as the locus of Iranian work on nuclear weaponization. --- 1 David Albright, Spencer Faragasso, and the Good ISIS Team, “Renewed Activity at the Sanjarian and Golab Dareh Amad Sites,” Institute for Science and International Security, September 12, 2024, https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/renewed-activity-at-the-sanjarian-and-golab-dareh-amad-sites. 1717 K Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006 TEL 202.547.3633 Twitter @TheGoodISIS Subscribe to mailer here. | E-MAIL [email protected] | www.isis-online.org