“Completely unrecognizable.” Footage Shows Iran Preparing for War and Fortifying Nuclear Sites Amidst Trump's Emissaries

Iran's foreign minister said on Friday he expected a draft counterproposal to be ready within days after nuclear talks with the United States this week, while US President Donald Trump said he was considering limited military strikes. Meanwhile, Tehran's moves suggest the regime is preparing for a possible conflict.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that U.S. military plans for Iran have reached an advanced stage, with options including attacking specific individuals and even changing leadership in Tehran if the White House leader gives the order.

Trump on Thursday gave Tehran 10-15 days to reach a deal to resolve the long-running nuclear dispute or face “really serious things”, amid a build-up of the US military presence in the Middle East that has fueled fears of a wider war.

Asked Friday if he was considering a limited strike to pressure Iran into a deal, Trump told reporters at the White House: “I think I can say I'm considering” that possibility. Asked later about Iran at a White House news conference, Trump added: “They'd better negotiate a fair deal.”

Tehran, optimistic about a deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after indirect talks in Geneva this week with Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that the sides had agreed on key “principles” but that that did not mean a deal was imminent.

Instead, US Vice President JD Vance stated that the Iranians did not recognize the “red lines” established by US President Donald Trump, CNN notes.

Araqchi, in an interview with MS NOW, said he has a draft counterproposal that could be ready in the next two or three days for review by senior Iranian officials, with further US-Iranian talks possible in about a week. Military action would complicate efforts to reach an agreement, he added.

Araqchi did not give a time frame for when the Iranians would submit their counterproposal to Witkoff and Kushner, but said he was confident a diplomatic deal was within reach and could be achieved “within a very short period of time.”

How Iran is preparing

As the United States continues a major military buildup in the Middle East amid the threat of war, Iran has spent the past few months repairing key missile facilities and badly damaged air bases, further hiding its nuclear program, CNN reports.

Tehran has appointed war veterans to its national security structures, conducted naval exercises in the Persian Gulf and launched an intense crackdown on domestic dissidents.

Last June, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran that destroyed parts of its nuclear program, severely damaged missile production sites and killed key military commanders. In the 12-day conflict, Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israeli cities, while the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites that Trump said had been “completely destroyed”.

Despite heavy losses in the war with Israel, analysis of satellite images reveals that Iran has rebuilt its damaged missile facilities.

Satellite images of the Imam Ali missile base in Khorramabad, captured on January 5, show that of the twelve structures destroyed by Israel, three have been rebuilt, one has been repaired, and three others are currently under construction. The base houses silos essential for launching ballistic missiles, surrounded by earthworks and construction.

Iran rebuilt quickly

Two other military bases also underwent extensive repairs. At the air base northwest of the city of Tabriz, where there are medium-range ballistic missiles, the taxiways and take-off runways have been restored. At another missile base in the north of the city, extensive work was carried out after the war.

All entrances have been reopened after being bombed, the entrance support area has been largely rebuilt, and some tunnels are now open, according to an analysis by CNN and Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Newly released satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete ‌shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil amid soaring tensions with ⁠the US and the threat of regional war https://t.co/9mCCTntFo2 pic.twitter.com/OUPOuhXWat

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 19, 2026

At Hamadan Air Base in western Iran, craters created by bombs on the runway have been plugged and shelters for aircraft have been repaired, according to an analysis by CNN and Lair.

Iran also quickly rebuilt its largest and newest solid-propellant missile production facility in Shahrud, a technology that enables the rapid deployment of long-range missiles.

“I think the most important site is Shahrud. The damage there was repaired very quickly,” Lair said. “During the war, a new production line was also under construction there, which was not damaged, and which is now probably operational, which means that, counterintuitively, the production of solid-fuel rocket motors may be higher now than before the war, at least at that site.”

Despite showing flexibility in curbing its nuclear program, Iran is rapidly fortifying more of its nuclear facilities, using concrete and large amounts of earth to bury key sites, according to new satellite images and analysis by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).

“A completely unrecognizable bunker”

High-resolution satellite images from February 10, 2026, analyzed by ISIS, show that Iran continues to strengthen the entrances to the tunnels of the underground complex dug in Mount Pickaxe near Natanz.

Fresh concrete is visible at both the west and east entrances, adding protection that could help protect the facility from potential airstrikes, along with trucks and other construction equipment on site.

Stalling the negotiations has its benefits:
Over the last two to three weeks, Iran has been busy burying the new Taleghan 2 facility at the Parchin military complex with soil. Once the concrete sarcophagus around the facility was hardened, Iran did not hesitate to move soil over… pic.twitter.com/AowjWFFd92

— David Albright (@DAVIDHALBRIGHT1) February 17, 2026

At a nuclear facility known as “Taleghan 2” at the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran, satellite images released this week show Iran has completed a concrete sarcophagus around the site and is now covering it with earth, according to the Washington-based institute that focuses on nuclear non-proliferation.

🚨 BREAKING: Satellite Images Show Iran Burying Nuclear Sites as Talks Stall

New imagery reveals Iran covering a facility at Parchin with concrete and soil, backfilling tunnel entrances at the Isfahan nuclear complex, and fortifying sites near Natanz with heavy equipment.… pic.twitter.com/ltYro7cEqQ

— Eagle Eye (@zarrar_11PK) February 19, 2026

“The facility could soon become a completely unrecognizable bunker, providing significant protection against airstrikes,” ISIS president David Albright warned in a post on X.

What Iran's moves suggest

At the Tir industrial complex near Isfahan in central Iran, where parts for uranium enrichment centrifuges are believed to be manufactured, damaged structures have been rebuilt, according to an analysis of images reviewed by CNN.

“I think Iran is rebuilding its nuclear and missile programs, probably faster than Israel claimed it could during (Operation) Rising Lion,” Jeffrey Lewis, a global security researcher at Middlebury College, told CNN, referring to the June 2025 Israeli strikes.

“The reconstruction of the buildings, as well as other information, suggests that Iran was able to replace that equipment or move it to safe places underground before the attacks,” he added.