UN Nuclear Watchdog Confirms Visible Damage but Warns Underground Stockpiles May Remain Untouched; Experts Call Strikes Incomplete
ERBIL, IRAQ: Following the U.S. military’s high-profile airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites, former President Donald Trump claimed the facilities were “completely and fully obliterated.” However, international nuclear watchdogs and arms control experts are raising serious concerns over the true impact of the strikes, particularly the whereabouts of 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, a step just short of weapons-grade material.
“We obliterated Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz. Those sites are no longer a threat,” Trump declared on Saturday, hailing the use of 14 GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs and Tomahawk missiles launched in “Operation Midnight Hammer.”
UN Watchdog Sounds Alarm: “We Cannot Assess the Underground Damage”
On Sunday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), addressed the UN Security Council, confirming visible surface-level damage at the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan sites, but said that the extent of underground destruction remains unknown.
“Craters are visible at the Fordo site. Entrances to uranium storage tunnels were hit at Isfahan. Natanz’s enrichment facility has been bombed again,” said Grossi.
“But no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to assess the underground damage at Fordo. Inspectors must be allowed back to verify and account for Iran’s nuclear material — especially the 400kg enriched to 60%,” he emphasized.
Expert Criticism: “Critical Elements Left Intact”
Renowned nuclear arms expert Jeffrey Lewis, of the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies, expressed scepticism about the operation's effectiveness.
“The strikes may look impressive, but they failed to neutralise significant portions of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure,” Lewis wrote on X.
“The 60% enriched uranium was likely stored in deep underground tunnels near Isfahan, and there’s no evidence those tunnels were even targeted.”
Conflicting Signals from Washington
Before Grossi’s briefing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News’ Face the Nation that he believed the uranium was still buried under Isfahan and that U.S. intelligence was confident about its location.
“We have to assume there’s a lot of 60% enriched uranium buried deep underground there in Isfahan,” said Rubio, expressing confidence in the strikes’ deterrent effect.
Why 60% Enrichment Matters: One Step Away From Weaponization
Uranium used in civilian nuclear power is enriched to just 3-5%. Weapons-grade uranium requires 90% enrichment, but uranium at 60% enrichment is considered a serious proliferation risk due to the short technical leap required to convert it into a warhead.
With nearly 400kg of 60%-enriched uranium unaccounted for, international concern is mounting over what remains hidden beneath Iran’s nuclear landscape — and whether the strikes may have missed the most dangerous elements.
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