Early last week, U.S. military bombers unleashed over a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities, in a move President Donald Trump described as "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program. But did Iran manage to move its precious stock of highly enriched uranium out of harm's way?
At a Thursday news conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that after reviewing classified reports, he had seen no evidence of such a move. He stated he was not aware of any intelligence indicating Iran had shifted its enriched uranium out of the targeted sites.
Still, outside experts caution that Iran likely preempted the attacks by moving near weapons-grade uranium from its deeply buried Fordow site. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies spotted unusual vehicle traffic at Fordow in the days leading up to the raids. A senior Iranian source speaking to Reuters also claimed most of Iran's 60 percent enriched uranium was relocated.
European intelligence assessments, reported by the Financial Times, back up the idea that Tehran's enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact. While the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency's preliminary assessment (leaked to the press) suggested the strikes may only stall Iran's program for months, Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe later presented higher-confidence intel indicating the program suffered severe damage.
At a classified briefing for U.S. senators, Republican Tom Cotton called the mission extraordinary but noted it did not include seizing enriched uranium. Democrat Mark Warner argued that only on-the-ground inspections could verify Iran's remaining capabilities. With the full impact still under review, the global community awaits the next chapter in the high-stakes standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Reference(s):
No known intelligence that Iran moved uranium, U.S. defense chief says
cgtn.com
