Satellite images taken this week show Iran has filled in all three tunnel entrances at its Isfahan nuclear complex, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.
The middle and southern portals are now unrecognizable and completely covered, while the northern entrance, which includes additional passive defense features, also appears to be backfilled, said the organization. No vehicle activity is visible around any of the three access points.
“It appears clear that the Iranians are seriously concerned about a US/Israeli aerial attack and/or raid against this particularly hardened nuclear facility,” said the Washington-based think tank.
“Backfilling the tunnel entrances would help dampen any potential airstrike and also make ground access in a special forces raid to seize or destroy any highly enriched uranium that may be housed inside difficult,” the group continued.
“It is also possible that Iran could have moved equipment or material into the tunnels to protect them, although this cannot be confirmed,” the institute said, noting that, “Preparations like these were last observed in the days before Operation Midnight Hammer struck facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,” referring to the U.S. military’s June 22, 2025, strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
U.S. issues navigation warning for Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s maritime security office on Monday advised American-flagged vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to remain as far from the Iranian coastline as possible, citing heightened regional tensions and potential security risks along the key shipping route.
The Maritime Administration’s guidance highlights actions to take “if hailed, queried, boarded, detained, or seized by Iranian forces,” including stating identity and legal status.
Vessels “should provide vessel name and flag state and affirm that they are proceeding in accordance with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention.”
If Iranian forces attempt to board, masters “should, if the safety of the ship and crew would not be compromised, decline permission to board, noting that the vessel is proceeding in accordance with international law.”
If boarding occurs anyway, “the crew should not forcibly resist the boarding party,” and the guidance stresses that not resisting “does not imply consent or agreement to that boarding.”
Ships are advised to remain “as far as possible from Iran’s territorial sea without compromising navigational safety,” and when heading east through the Strait of Hormuz, to sail “close to Oman’s territorial sea.”
Senator slams Turkey, Qatar, Egypt
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday accused Turkey, Qatar and Egypt of conspiring to keep the Iranian regime in power at the expense of protesters demanding freedom.
“To our so called regional allies: If you think for one moment leaving the ayatollah and his murderous regime in power is a good idea after all the pushback from the Iranian people, you’re living in a dream world,” he tweeted. “It is now past time for the region to bravely and coherently stand up to the murderous ayatollah, who is slaughtering his people and is a religious Nazi.”
“To Turkey, Qatar, Egypt etc: Your desire to keep the status quo and ignore the just demands of the Iranian people is, in my view, beyond out of line with American national security interests and it is also out of line with common decency,” Graham continued. U.S. President Donald Trump has said, “‘Keep protesting, help is on the way.’ He will be on the right side of history. I believe him to be a man of his word. Freedom for Iran,” said Graham.
The South Carolina lawmaker’s remarks come against the backdrop of moves by regional states to avert a military campaign against the regime in Tehran amid a U.S. buildup of forces in the Middle East, as tenuous nuclear negotiations continue.
Graham’s X post included a repost of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying on CNN Turk that “For now, at least, there does not appear to be an immediate threat of war. We are doing everything we can to prevent a disaster.”
Tehran’s diplomatic push
According to the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls on Monday with his Turkish, Egyptian and Saudi counterparts on the latest developments on the indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Muscat, Oman.
“The Iranian foreign minister described the talks as a good start, while at the same time stressing the need to address existing distrust regarding the intentions and objectives of the US side,” according to the ministry readout.
“The foreign ministers of those regional countries welcomed the launch of the Muscat negotiations and stressed the importance of continuing the talks in order to achieve a diplomatic solution and prevent further escalation of tensions,” the statement continued.
Araghchi also met in Tehran on Monday with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Lana Nusseibeh, according to the ministry, which said that Nusseibeh welcomed “the resumption of diplomatic engagement between Iran and the US in Muscat” which “underscored her country’s commitment to regional stability, security, and de-escalation of tensions.”
The first U.S.-Iran talks since Israeli and American strikes in June 2025 severely damaged Iran’s enrichment facilities at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan occurred on Friday in Oman. The U.S. delegation was led by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, while Iran’s team was headed by Araghchi.
Iran offers to dilute enriched uranium for sanctions relief
Iran’s nuclear chief said on Monday that Tehran is prepared to dilute its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium if sweeping sanctions are lifted, tying any rollback of its most sensitive nuclear work to broad economic relief.
Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, told the official IRNA news agency that lowering enrichment levels “depends on whether all sanctions would be lifted in return,” without clarifying whether he meant U.S. measures alone or all international restrictions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has previously estimated that more than 400 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium—enough, if further refined to weapons grade, for multiple nuclear weapons—went unaccounted for after the June attacks, deepening Western concerns.
U.S. continues building up forces in Mideast region
While negotiations are underway and regional countries attempt to deescalate via diplomatic channels, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday that the United States is making final preparations for a possible military confrontation with Iran, rapidly reinforcing its forces in the Middle East.
Additional transport aircraft are heading into the region, with six F-35 fighter jets and three more refueling planes en route, as U.S. forces conduct aerial refueling drills in the Gulf and operate large strike aircraft to be ready to deliver a powerful blow if ordered, according to the report.
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