U.S. Strikes Damaged Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Uncertainty Remains \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Following U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli officials believe large amounts of enriched uranium may still be buried and recoverable. U.S. intelligence confirms heavy damage but not total destruction. Uncertainty remains as international inspectors await access to fully assess the impact.
Quick Looks
- Israeli official says enriched uranium may be intact underground
- U.S. targeted Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan in June 22 strikes
- Massive bunker buster bombs were used on key facilities
- Defense agency still unsure bombs reached engineered depth
- Trump insists all targets were “obliterated” by U.S. strikes
- CIA reports destruction of Iran’s only metal conversion plant
- Iran claims facilities too damaged for inspection access
- IAEA urges Tehran to allow monitoring to assess full damage
Deep Look
Weeks after the United States launched airstrikes on three of Iran’s most guarded nuclear facilities, doubts persist about how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was truly destroyed. Israel now believes that significant quantities of enriched uranium remain buried — and potentially recoverable — at one of the bombed sites, according to a senior Israeli official.
This revelation adds to a growing split between public claims made by President Donald Trump, who insists the U.S. strikes “obliterated” the sites, and more cautious evaluations by international nuclear experts and elements within the U.S. intelligence community.
The June 22 airstrikes, conducted using B-2 stealth bombers and GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs, were part of a broader escalation in the Middle East, as the U.S. joined Israel’s efforts to disrupt Iran’s nuclear ambitions amid the war in Gaza. The bombings targeted three major Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan — all known to house key elements of uranium enrichment and processing.
Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have maintained that the sites were “destroyed”, a term that has been echoed repeatedly in Republican political messaging. However, U.S. and international assessments have been more tempered.
A preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) noted that the strikes inflicted “significant damage” but stopped short of confirming full destruction. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, briefing lawmakers privately, said that while Iran’s lone metal conversion facility had been destroyed — a critical setback — much of the enriched uranium stockpiled at Fordo and Isfahan likely remains buried and intact under heavy rubble.
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously to reporters, confirmed that Israel shares that assessment and believes Iran did not relocate uranium stockpiles before the attack. The official noted that Iran’s uranium stores were dispersed among the three facilities, and that Isfahan, in particular, may still hold large underground reserves.
While retrieval would be difficult, the Israeli official emphasized, it is technically feasible, meaning Iran could regain access to critical materials in the future.
U.S. defense officials, including two representatives from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) — which developed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator used in the strikes — admitted they have yet to confirm whether the bombs achieved their designed penetration depth. These officials also spoke anonymously, citing the sensitivity of the munitions and the ongoing analysis of strike results.
Complicating assessments further, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a rare interview with conservative American broadcaster Tucker Carlson, stated that the attacks were so devastating that Iranian technicians have not yet been able to enter the facilities to determine the full extent of the damage.
“As a result of the United States’ unlawful attacks against our nuclear centers and installations, many of the pieces of equipment and the facilities there have been severely damaged,” Pezeshkian said.
“We stand ready to have [U.N.] supervision, but at the moment, we cannot grant unfettered access.”
That supervision would come from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is still seeking access to the bombed sites. IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said that while the three sites sustained “important degrees” of destruction, capabilities remain.
“Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared, and there is nothing there,” Grossi said. “If they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.”
According to Grossi, evaluating whether Iran’s nuclear program has been truly neutralized depends entirely on the Iranian government’s willingness to admit IAEA inspectors — something Tehran has not yet allowed since the strikes.
Meanwhile, nuclear nonproliferation experts have raised concerns that U.S. officials may be overselling the success of the mission, especially in the absence of ground verification. The destruction of Iran’s metal conversion facility at Isfahan is significant because it is essential for turning uranium into forms usable for reactor fuel or weapons. But enriched uranium itself, even if trapped underground, remains a strategic asset.
Analysts caution that unless the enriched uranium was destroyed by heat or shock, or rendered inaccessible through collapsed tunnels, it may eventually be recovered and reused.
Trump’s insistence on total destruction has drawn both political support and skepticism. His narrative of a complete knockout blow to Iran’s nuclear capabilities resonates with supporters and hardliners, particularly after previous diplomatic efforts such as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal collapsed under his administration.
Yet the intelligence community’s restraint in its language, paired with international calls for inspections, suggests a more nuanced reality — one where damage is real, but not necessarily irreversible.
As tensions continue to simmer, and as international watchdogs press for access, one critical question looms: Did the U.S. strikes truly neutralize the nuclear threat — or simply delay it?
Until inspectors set foot inside the ruins of Isfahan, Fordo, and Natanz, the answer remains buried, just like the uranium.
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