According to reports, not all of Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium was destroyed during the US air raids in the 12-Day War last month. Uncertainties exist whether Iran relocated 408.6 kilograms of its most sensitive uranium before the bombings, potentially concealing nuclear substances in another part of the country. This specific uranium has an enrichment level of 60 per cent, which is considerably higher than that used for civilian applications, yet below weapon-level. If the refinement continues to reach a 90% enrichment level, it could theoretically create over nine nuclear warheads.
An anonymous official from Israel mentioned to The New York Times that some part of the uranium inventory managed to withstand the last month’s US and Israeli air raids and might still be within reach of Iranian nuclear scientists. However, the source did not express anxiety concerning the surviving stockpile, explaining that any recovery attempt will trigger alarms in the Israeli intelligence. The official also assured that Israel would have sufficient time to launch another attack on Iran’s nuclear plants if the regime decides to salvage it.
Tehran admitted to the substantial damage caused by Operation Midnight Hammer, during which American B-2 Spirit bombers released over a dozen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker busters. However, the impacts of the bombardments on Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment plant, Natanz and Isfahan facilities, it was unclear whether these were enough to obliterate the entire enriched uranium reserve.
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, did not rule out the probability that Iran might still possess stockpiles of enriched uranium. ‘We are uncertain about the current location of this material. Some might have been destroyed during the raid, while others might have been relocated. We need to clarify this at some point,’ remarked Rafael Grossi in an interview with CBS.
President Donald Trump, however, dismissed such conjectures, stating: ‘Nothing was extracted… too perilous, weighty, and challenging to transport!’ He stated that satellite visuals depicted trucks on the site due to attempts by Iranian crews to safeguard the facility with concrete. President Trump maintained that the attacks had left Iran’s nuclear capacities in ruins and entirely devastated the Fordow enrichment facility.
Speaking to Fox News, President Trump described the Fordow enrichment site as ‘just countless tons of rock,’ having been effectively demolished. Trump praised the precise timing of the strikes, saying: ‘We proceeded, wrecked their nuclear potential, and halted. It was an impressive operation that couldn’t have been extended much further.’
Despite receiving an early Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency report suggesting that the damage inflicted wasn’t severe enough to dismantle Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Trump disregarded these findings. Even amidst the agreed ceasefire, Trump made it apparent that he wouldn’t hesitate to authorise another bombing against Iran if necessary.
He reaffirmed to journalists at the White House that he would unquestionably launch an operation against Iran if American intelligence reported disturbing uranium enrichment levels in the country. Both the US and Israel, along with autonomous experts, concur that the attacks destroyed or inflicted irreparable harm on all of Iran’s working centrifuges at Natanz and Fordo – around 18,000 in total.
IAEA Chief Grossi said that despite the inflicted damages, Iran would likely commence producing enriched uranium within the next couple of months. Recent satellite images seem to reveal development work being undertaken at the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment facility in Qom, near Tehran. The visuals show a new access road between the site’s northern tunnel entrance and one of the impact craters following Israel’s airstrike aimed at disturbing access to the location.
Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, situated nearly 60 miles southwest of Tehran, hosts many centrifuge cascades. The facility’s construction started in at least 2007, as per the IAEA, but Iran only divulged to the UN nuclear watchdog about the facility in 2009 when US and allied Western intelligence became cognizant of its existence.
The country’s principal enrichment site, the Natanz enrichment facility, rests 135 miles southeast of Tehran and has been targeted by Israeli air raids in the past. The Isfahan facility, located 215 miles southeast of Tehran, is a workplace for thousands of nuclear scientists. Iran possesses several undisclosed sites part of its nuclear program, which were not declared as targets in the US attacks.
The 12-Day War initiated on June 13, when Israel inaugurated Operation Rising Lion, a refined bombing strategy directed at Iran’s military nuclear facilities. Iran, in response, unleashed daily onslaughts of ballistic missiles across Israel, though none managed to hit any strategic targets.
President Trump, a short two weeks later, backed the Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The US military’s flagship B-2 Spirit stealth bombers released over a dozen 30,000 lb GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs targeting Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Plant.
Following this, Iran pledged to seek vengeance by attacking US military bases spread throughout the Middle East, and launched missile strikes on the Al-Udeid Air Base – the largest American military station in the region. However, Tehran’s expected retaliatory assault was perceived as a ruse after alerting its allies in Qatar, allowing all US service personnel and aircraft to be relocated out of danger zones.
President Trump labelled Iran’s retaliatory strike as ‘feeble’ before announcing the establishment of a ceasefire agreement between the Israelis and Iranians. The heated exchanges and unresolved issues indicate that the conflict’s remnants persist, leaving a precarious prospect for a diplomatic resolution.