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Uranium enrichment explained: Why the US bombed Iran's Fordow nuclear plant
Iran and Israel engaged in a major missile warfare as the world braced for Tehran's response to the massive American strikes on its three nuclear commercial satellite imagery indicated the US attack on Iran's subterranean Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged or destroyed the deeply buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, the status of the site remained unconfirmed, experts nuclear plant, which is built underneath a mountain, is at the centre of Iran's nuclear plans as Israel continuously accuses it of Uranium enrichment to build atomic bombs.
So, what is Uranium enrichment that has put the Middle East on fire as the US enters the war?
A combination picture shows satellite images over Fordow underground complex, before and after the US strikes. (Photo: Reuters)
WHAT IS URANIUM ENRICHMENT? Uranium enrichment is a process used to increase the amount of a specific type of uranium called uranium-235, which is needed to produce nuclear energy and nuclear uranium mostly contains another type, uranium-238, and only about 0.7% of it is uranium-235. Sadvertisementince uranium-235 is the type that can easily fuel nuclear reactions, it must be separated and concentrated through enrichment — usually using machines called gas OF URANIUM ENRICHMENTUranium is classified based on how much uranium-235 it contains:Natural Uranium: About 0.7% uranium-235. Not useful for most nuclear Uranium (LEU): Less than 20% uranium-235. Most nuclear power plants use LEU with 3–5% Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU): Between 5% and 20%. Used in some advanced and research Enriched Uranium (HEU): Over 20% uranium-235. For nuclear weapons, uranium is usually enriched to 90% or more.
US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber returns after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites. (Photo: Reuters)
SCIENCE BEHIND URANIUM ENRICHMENT Uranium enrichment is the process of increasing the amount of uranium-235 in natural uranium, which contains only about 0.7% of this fissile uranium-235 is essential for nuclear reactors and weapons, enrichment is necessary. The process starts by converting uranium ore into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas is then fed into spinning centrifuges, which separate the lighter uranium-235 from the heavier uranium-238 using centrifugal force. Thousands of these centrifuges are linked in a system called a 'cascade' to gradually raise the concentration of uranium-235. While older methods like gaseous diffusion are now obsolete, experimental laser-based techniques are still being enrichment, the uranium is converted into uranium dioxide, shaped into pellets, and used in nuclear fuel rods. Though modern centrifuges are energy-efficient, enrichment poses a proliferation risk: with the right setup, uranium enriched for reactors (3–5%) can be further enriched to weapons-grade levels of over 90%.ESCALATING CONFLICTThe US launched 75 precision-guided munitions, including bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles against three Iranian nuclear sites, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US Grossi, the agency's director general, told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done Watch
