Israeli Intelligence Suggests Iran May Retrieve Enriched Uranium despite US. Strikes

A senior Israeli official has indicated that Iran may be capable of retrieving enriched uranium that was buried beneath one of its nuclear facilities targeted during recent U.S. military strikes. The official, addressing American media representatives, stated that although accessing the enriched uranium at the Isfahan site would be exceptionally challenging, any Iranian effort to do so would likely trigger immediate Israeli military retaliation. This assessment contrasts with former U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that American air and missile strikes in June completely annihilated Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Trump characterized "Operation Midnight Hammer"—a coordinated attack involving submarine-launched cruise missiles on sites in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—as a decisive and comprehensive success. His administration has continued to emphasize that these strikes rendered Iran incapable of pursuing nuclear weapon development. Despite these claims, some U.S. intelligence agencies have adopted a more cautious stance. A preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency noted that although substantial damage was inflicted upon all three nuclear facilities, they were not entirely destroyed. This aligns with the view expressed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who testified before lawmakers that while the facilities sustained critical damage—particularly to Iran's only site for metallic uranium production—Iran's capacity to construct a nuclear weapon had been severely curtailed rather than fully eliminated. Further nuance was added by Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who observed that while the targeted facilities had been "destroyed to an important degree," portions of the sites remain structurally intact.

Grossi cautioned against assuming the total eradication of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, noting that physical remnants still exist at the locations in question. Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes, has denied pursuing nuclear weapons development. In a recent interview, Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that the facilities had been "severely damaged," rendering them currently inaccessible.

He further noted that a comprehensive evaluation of the damage remains unfeasible at this time. Despite the uncertainty regarding the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been delayed by approximately two years. The Israeli official emphasized, however, that any Iranian attempts to recover buried nuclear materials would be closely monitored and likely met with forceful countermeasures.

Source- BBC News