Satellite images, Israeli intel suggest Tehran shifted near-weapons-grade fuel ahead of bunker buster attack by US, reports the New York Times.
Iran may have moved 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, which is enough to produce up to ten nuclear bombs.
This happened days before US B-2 bombers struck its key nuclear sites, according to US and Israeli officials quoted by NYT.
Satellite photos taken before the strikes show trucks lined up outside Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow facility, while post-strike images revealed those vehicles had vanished.
The fuel, enriched to 60 percent, was last seen by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) a week before the conflict began. “Iran has made no secret that they have protected this material,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying on CNN. Asked whether that meant the uranium had been moved, he replied, “I do.”
Trump claims nuclear programme destroyed
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Iran’s nuclear programme had been “completely and totally obliterated” after American forces dropped bunker-busting bombs on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The strikes were part of a 37-hour mission led by seven B-2 spirit bombers and supported by Tomahawk cruise missiles.
But within 24 hours, top officials dialled back Trump’s claims. “We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel,” Vice President JD Vance said on ABC’s This Week. He confirmed the missing uranium “sufficient to make nine or 10 atomic weapons” had not yet been recovered.
400 kilograms, or roughly 880 pounds, of uranium enriched to 60%
Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed 16 trucks parked outside the Fordow enrichment site before the US strike. The facility is dug deep into a mountain and has long been considered immune to most missile attacks.
Israeli officials believe the uranium was loaded onto those trucks and driven away before the bombing. “And there was growing evidence that the Iranians, attuned to Trump’s repeated threats to take military action, had removed 400 kilograms, or roughly 880 pounds, of uranium enriched to 60% purity," two Israeli intelligence sources told NYT. The material had been stored at a nuclear complex near Isfahan, in casks small enough to fit inside regular cars.
The fuel’s current location is unknown, and Tehran has not confirmed or denied the reports.
No inspections during war
Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said the fuel had last been seen by IAEA teams before Israel began bombing. Iranian officials later suspended all inspections during wartime.
Grossi warned the UN Security Council that “continued military escalation delays this indispensable work” and reduces the chances of a diplomatic solution.
Enriched uranium may still be inside destroyed facility
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine confirmed “severe damage and destruction” at all three nuclear sites. Satellite photos show multiple breaches in the mountain sheltering Fordow, caused by 30,000-pound bombs.
But analysts say key centrifuges, which enrich uranium, may still be inside. These machines are heavy, fixed, and difficult to remove. A US official said it would have been “unrealistic” for Iran to dismantle the entire system in time.
At Natanz, the older and more vulnerable site, the bombing reportedly disrupted power systems, which may have destroyed most centrifuges.
Setback to Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official and CIA officer said: “With the type and amount of munitions used, it will likely set back the Iranian nuclear weapon programme two to five years."
Still, intelligence suggests Iran had already begun building a deeper underground replacement for Natanz.
Despite longstanding suspicions, no fresh public evidence has emerged to prove Iran is actively building a nuclear weapon. Israel and the US say Tehran resumed weaponisation, but Iran denies this.