Institute for Science and International Security
Washington think tank whose satellite analysis drives public assessment of Iran strikes.
Last refreshed: 20 April 2026
Is the ISIS satellite assessment ahead of the IAEA?
Timeline for Institute for Science and International Security
Rosatom walks 180 staff out of Bushehr
Iran Conflict 2026Fordow inoperable since June 2025 bunker-busters
Iran Conflict 2026IDF bombs nuclear campus in Tehran
Iran Conflict 2026IAEA: bombs won't end Iran's nuclear bid
Iran Conflict 2026- Is David Albright's ISIS the same as Islamic State?
- No. The Institute for Science and International Security was founded in 1993, two decades before Islamic State adopted the acronym. It is a US nuclear proliferation think tank.Source: background
- Why does the IAEA disagree with ISIS on Fordow damage?
- ISIS infers from satellite imagery that MOPs entered the centrifuge hall; the IAEA will only say damage is "expected" because inspectors have not had access since June 2025.Source: background
- Who funds the Institute for Science and International Security?
- The institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit funded by foundation grants and private donors; it does not accept US government funding for its nuclear analysis.Source: background
- What does ISIS satellite analysis show about Fordow?
- Ventilation shafts destroyed, tunnel portals backfilled and no reconstruction activity since late July 2025. The five-month assessment concludes enrichment there is physically impossible.Source: background
Background
David Albright's institute is the civil reference most cited on Fordow's operational status after the June 2025 strikes. Its five-month assessment and satellite imagery inference that Massive Ordnance Penetrators entered Fordow's centrifuge hall shaped the public consensus the IAEA has not independently confirmed.
Founded in 1993, the institute is a non-profit focused on nuclear weapons proliferation. Albright, a former IAEA inspector, built it around open source satellite analysis of undeclared or contested nuclear infrastructure. Its reports on Iranian enrichment, North Korean production sites and Syrian facilities have repeatedly anticipated official disclosure by months or years.
The abbreviation ISIS predates the Islamic State by two decades. Usage in policy circles and on Lowdown refers exclusively to the think tank; the institute itself has resisted rebranding. Its authority rests on a track record of technical readings that governments later accept.