Washington denies transfer of Iranian enriched uranium before U.S. strike

26th June 2025

2 minutes read

Washington denies transfer of Iranian enriched uranium before U.S. strike

Grossi confirms the IAEA has not been able to monitor enriched uranium since hostilities began.

On Wednesday, the White House stated that Iran did not transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium before the U.S. military launched airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear sites, amid growing debate over the actual effectiveness of what has been described as one of the most opaque military operations.

President Donald Trump lashed out at U.S. media outlets after they published a classified intelligence report casting doubt on the success of the strikes carried out in support of Israel, targeting the nuclear facilities at Fordow (south of Tehran), Natanz, and Isfahan (central Iran).

Since the operation, Trump has repeatedly claimed that the three nuclear sites were completely destroyed.

However, some experts have suggested that Iran may have preemptively emptied these facilities of their stockpile—approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%.

Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said: “We have seen no evidence that the highly enriched uranium was moved before the strikes,” calling any reports to the contrary “inaccurate.”

She added that any remaining material is now buried under massive debris, which she cited as proof of the operation’s success.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe also issued a statement Wednesday, saying that according to “reliable intelligence,” Iran’s nuclear program has been severely damaged by the recent strikes. “This is based on new information from a source/method that has historically proven accurate, indicating that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed, and that rebuilding them could take years,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, Iran acknowledged that its nuclear facilities were significantly damaged as a result of Israeli and American strikes during the 12-day conflict.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told Al Jazeera English: “Our nuclear sites suffered serious damage, that is certain. They were repeatedly targeted by the Israeli and American aggressors,”
though some analysts suspect the statement might be a tactical distraction.

Meanwhile, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told France 2 that the agency can no longer monitor the enriched uranium stockpile since hostilities began: “I don’t want to give the impression that it’s lost or hidden,” he added.

According to a confidential report revealed by CNN on Tuesday, the U.S. strikes have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, rather than destroying it—contradicting Trump’s persistent claims.

The leak of this assessment infuriated the former Republican president, who announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a press conference on Thursday at 8 a.m. (12:00 GMT) “to defend the honor of our great American pilots.”