A senior Israeli official revealed recently that Israel believes deeply buried stocks of enriched uranium at an Iranian nuclear facility targeted by U.S. military strikes might be retrievable.
This statement comes alongside reports from the agency responsible for developing the U.S. ‘bunker buster’ bombs— munition specifically designed for destroying fortified targets— indicating they are still evaluating whether the bombs struck as intended at two other nuclear sites.
These developments come in the wake of the U.S. military’s recent involvement in Israel’s operations, aimed at curbing Iran’s potential development of nuclear weapons. Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes.
President Donald Trump has asserted that the U.S. airstrikes ‘obliterated’ the three Iranian nuclear facilities targeted in June. However, international assessments seem to indicate otherwise, with an initial report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency acknowledging that while significant damage was inflicted on the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan sites, they were not completely destroyed.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe later informed skeptical U.S. lawmakers that American strikes had indeed destroyed Iran’s sole metal conversion facility, describing this as a significant setback for Iran’s nuclear ambitions that could take years to recover from.
Furthermore, U.S. intelligence is suggesting that the majority of Iran’s enriched uranium likely still lies buried under the rubble at Isfahan and Fordo following the airstrikes.
According to the senior Israeli official, much of the enriched uranium is believed to be located at the Isfahan site, complicating the retrieval efforts as it would necessitate a challenging recovery operation.
The U.S. military used B-2 stealth bombers to target the Fordo and Natanz nuclear sites during the airstrikes, yet there seem to be contrasting narratives regarding the effectiveness of these attacks.
Despite the claims by Trump and other administration officials, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asserting that the nuclear sites were completely destroyed, a more cautious analysis is warranted based on the ongoing assessments.
Two officials from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, involved in developing the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, indicated that they still do not possess conclusive data on whether these munitions successfully penetrated their intended targets.
In a recent interview, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the strikes inflicted such severe damage on Iran’s nuclear facilities that they are currently unable to conduct their own survey of the destruction.
He expressed Tehran’s willingness to resume cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, although he could not guarantee unrestricted access for inspections at the sites just yet.
“We stand ready to have such supervision,” Pezeshkian remarked, highlighting the difficulties faced by Iranian authorities as a result of what he described as unlawful U.S. attacks.
He added that many pieces of equipment and facilities had sustained considerable damage from the airstrikes.
In the meantime, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated that while significant destruction had occurred at the three targeted sites, some capabilities remained intact, thereby allowing for the possibility of Iran resuming its nuclear activities if they so choose.
Grossi further clarified that a full assessment of the damage hinges on whether Iran permits international inspectors to access the affected locations.
“One cannot claim that everything has disappeared, and there is nothing there,” Grossi stated, emphasizing the necessity of transparency in evaluating the situation.
As evaluations of the airstrikes continue, the international community remains on alert, observing whether Iran will take steps to revive its nuclear program or comply with inspection protocols.
image source from：mynorthwest
