Under the Rubble… Iran reveals the fate of uranium after the U.S. strike

23rd August 2025

2 minutes read

Under the Rubble… Iran reveals the fate of uranium after the U.S. strike

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi disclosed the fate of the 60% enriched uranium following the U.S. strikes on his country’s nuclear facilities last June.

Araghchi stated that “the stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is buried under the rubble.”
The Iranian minister made this statement during a phone call with European foreign ministers, according to Barak Ravid, a journalist for “Axios,” who shared the information on his account on the platform “X.”

A new round of negotiations is scheduled for next Tuesday between Iran and the European troika (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) regarding Tehran’s nuclear program.

A confrontational call
The foreign ministers of France, Jean-Noël Barrot, Germany, Johann Wadephul, the United Kingdom, David Lammy, along with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, held a phone conversation on Friday with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

Ravid reported that “the call between the European troika’s ministers and Abbas Araghchi yielded no progress, as the Iranian minister offered no new proposals or ideas addressing concerns over the nuclear program.”

He added: “The conversation began on a confrontational note, with Araghchi angrily questioning whether the troika had the right to trigger the ‘snapback mechanism’ (reinstating sanctions).”

Ravid further noted that “Araghchi showed no genuine interest in reaching an agreement, limiting himself to suggesting a meeting between his deputies and the troika’s political directors. The Iranian minister also showed no willingness to resume talks with the United States, claiming instead that it was Washington that refused to negotiate.”

Araghchi insisted that “Iran is cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” but gave no indication of readiness to “grant inspectors additional access.”

Under the rubble
The “Axios” correspondent reported that Araghchi told the European ministers that “the 60% enriched uranium stockpile is buried under the rubble and that there is currently no practical way to retrieve it.”

This statement aligns with the White House’s announcement following the bombing of the Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz sites last June, which stated that Iran had not moved its highly enriched uranium stockpile before the U.S. strike, declaring that it remained “under the rubble.”

Nothing was moved
Media reports had speculated that Iran might have relocated or concealed part of its enriched uranium prior to the U.S. strike, but at the time, President Donald Trump said he did not believe that had happened.

He stated: “I don’t think they did. First, it is extremely difficult to do, and very dangerous. It is very heavy, extremely heavy. Moving it is nearly impossible.”

He continued: “Moreover, we did not give them much warning, as they only realized we were coming at the very last moment. Nobody expected us to target the site, because everyone believed it was fortified and impenetrable,” referring to the Fordo facility.

Trump concluded: “They fled for their own lives; they were all trying to survive. They didn’t move anything.”