A new Israeli intelligence assessment has determined that a significant portion of Iran’s enriched uranium — potentially usable for nuclear weapons — survived last month’s U.S. and Israeli airstrikes.
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Israel has concluded that portions of Iran’s underground stash of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium withstood last month’s U.S. and Israeli strikes and may still be available to Iranian nuclear scientists, per an Israeli official cited by NYT. pic.twitter.com/14eO8myF3M
According to an Israeli official cited by The New York Times, Israel believes that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium withstood the strikes and could still be accessible to Iranian nuclear scientists.
Here’s what The New York Times reported:
“Israel has concluded that some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived American and Israeli attacks last month and may be accessible to Iranian nuclear engineers,” the outlet wrote, citing a senior Israeli official.
That same official stated that Israel began moving toward possible military action against Iran late last year, based on intelligence indicating what was described as a covert race to develop a nuclear weapon. The source remained anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the information.
While Israel, the U.S., and various external experts agree that Iran’s centrifuges at Natanz and Fordo — approximately 18,000 in total — were likely damaged or destroyed beyond repair, concerns now shift to how quickly Iran could restore its capabilities. This comes despite the reported assassinations of key Iranian nuclear scientists.
A point of disagreement has also emerged between Israel and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, suggested that Iran had moved much of its 60% enriched uranium stockpile from Isfahan prior to the June 22 strike. However, the Israeli official disputes this, asserting that “nothing was moved,” claiming the storage facility was buried too deep for even America’s most powerful weapons to eliminate.
The U.S. strike on Isfahan is believed to have blocked many of the facility’s access points and destroyed laboratories critical to converting enriched uranium into weapon-usable metal.
While details remain sparse, if Israel’s assessment holds true, Iran would still face significant technical and logistical hurdles in building a bomb — or even in exporting enriched uranium to other countries.
