Iran can recover enriched uranium buried under Isfahan nuclear site that was bombed by US, warns Israel official

Indian Express

11-07-2025

A senior Israeli official told reporters in Washington that stocks of enriched uranium that remain buried under Iran's Isfahan nuclear site, which was hit by US bombs recently, could be recovered. Much of Iran's enriched uranium is believed deeply buried at the third site, Isfahan, the official said, according to news agency AP.
According to NBC News, Israel is monitoring the site closely and will not hesitate to conduct new strikes if recovery efforts begin. The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which designed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator to penetrate hardened facilities, said it has yet to receive data confirming whether the bombs reached their intended depths. Two agency officials explained that without impact assessments from the field, they cannot determine if the munitions performed as engineered, reported AP.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asserted that the June 22 strikes 'obliterated' Iran's Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said in a statement that a 'body of credible intelligence' shows Iran's metal conversion facility was destroyed, reported NBC News.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, as per AP, that the strikes so severely damaged the facilities that Tehran cannot yet assess the full extent of the destruction. He suggested Iran may resume cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog once access is restored. Meanwhile, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi acknowledged significant damage to Iran's enrichment, conversion, and treatment capabilities but warned that 'if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.'
Israel maintains that the combined US-Israeli action has set Iran's nuclear progress back by up to two years. This claim contested by a preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report, which estimated only a several‑month delay.
(With inputs from AP, NBC News)