Israeli Official Voices Concerns Over Iran’s Uranium Stockpile

A senior Israeli official told The New York Times Thursday that Israel believes a portion of Iran’s underground cache of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium may have survived last month’s U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The assessment suggests that the material could still be accessible to Iranian nuclear scientists.

The strikes, conducted by the United States and Israel, targeted three main Iranian nuclear sites. While reports indicated significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program, the possibility of an intact uranium stockpile raises ongoing concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Iran has enriched uranium to near-weapons grade levels, at 60%, far beyond what is necessary for civilian use.

Meanwhile, another senior Israeli official told the Reuters that Israeli intelligence indicates Iran’s stockpile of approximately 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of 60% enriched uranium was present at the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites when they were struck by the U.S. last month, and has not been moved since.

While accessing the enriched uranium at Isfahan might be possible, it would be “very difficult,” the official told Reuters.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, speaking on Fox Business during his visit to Washington, reiterated Israel’s concerns regarding Iran’s enriched uranium supply. When asked if Iran had hidden any of the material, Netanyahu responded, “We think we know where it is, it’s sort of buried underground, and we don’t have contrary information.”

He clarified that Israel’s recent operations against Iran did not target the enriched uranium, stating, “The one thing that we didn’t deal with that we knew we didn’t deal with was the enriched uranium.”

Netanyahu emphasized the need to ensure Iran does not obtain this material, asserting that the U.S. and Israel are capable of repeating their actions if necessary, and that Iran’s fear is a deterrent.

President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran did not have time to remove the highly enriched uranium before the strikes, suggesting the stockpiles were “covered in granite.” However, U.S. and European intelligence reportedly indicated that the sites were not entirely destroyed and that the uranium might have been moved in advance.