U.S. Avoids Deploying Bunker-Buster Weapons on a Depth-Protected Iranian Nuclear Facility, According to Senior Military Official, Citing Site Depth as the Reason
Headline: Neither Bunker-Busters nor Missiles Took Out Most of Iran's Nuke Stash, Says Top General
Sub-headline: Isfahan Site Holds a Significant Amount of Iran's Enriched Uranium, Remaining Readily Accessible for a Possible Nuke Build
The US' top military chief, General Dan Caine, disclosed during a recent Congress briefing that the Isfahan nuclear facility—one of Iran's largest and deepest—was not targeted with bunker-buster bombs last weekend, as it's too far underground to be effectively hit by such weapons. This revelation marks the first official explanation provided on the matter since the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
According to unnamed sources attending the classified briefing, nearly 60% of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is believed to be stashed away at Isfahan. This stash could potentially be used to manufacture a nuclear weapon if Iran decided to go that route. US B2 bombers unleashed over a dozen bunker-buster bombs on Iran's Fordow and Natanz sites, but it was only Tomahawk missiles from a US submarine that impacted Isfahan.
The briefing, attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, shed further light on the situation. During the session, Ratcliffe informed lawmakers that the majority of Iran's enriched nuclear material resides at Isfahan and Fordow, per a US official.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN that some of Iran's secret nuclear capabilities remain hidden underground and out of reach of American bombing capacity, making it possible for Iran to move a substantial portion of their saved stockpile into areas immune to American air strikes.
An early assessment produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency post-strike suggested that the attack did not wipe out the core components of Iran's nuclear program, including its enriched uranium, and likely only delayed the program by a few months. It also indicated that Iran might have moved some enriched uranium out of the targeted facilities ahead of the attack.
Trump administration officials declined to comment on the whereabouts of Iran's stockpile of already-enriched uranium during the congressional briefings. President Trump insisted on numerous occasions that nothing was moved from the three Iranian sites before the military operation. However, Republican lawmakers acknowledged that the US military strikes may not have eliminated all of Iran's nuclear materials.
"There is enriched uranium in the facilities that moves around, but that was not the intent or the mission," Republican Representative Michael McCaul told CNN. "My understanding is most of it's still there. So we need a full accounting. That's why Iran has to come to the table directly with us, so the (International Atomic Energy Agency) can account for every ounce of enriched uranium that's there."
According to a recent study by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, commercial satellite images show that Iran has accessed the tunnels at Isfahan, hinting that any relocated enriched uranium might no longer be in the sealed tunnels. Additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs corroborates this, indicating that the tunnels' entrances were open at the time the images were captured.
The preliminary DIA assessment noted that the nuclear sites' aboveground structures were moderately to severely damaged, which might make it challenging for Iran to access any remaining enriched uranium underground. Nevertheless, experts warn that Iran still has the technical know-how to reassemble its nuclear program if the enriched uranium remains within their reach, a concern that Senator Lindsey Graham underscored during the congressional briefing.
- Politically, the recent revelation about the Isfahan nuclear facility's unaffected state raises questions about the effectiveness of the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
- General news outlets are reporting that a significant portion of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, enough for potential nuke manufacturing, is hidden away at the Isfahan site, making it a critical area in the ongoing war-and-conflicts involving Iran's nuclear program.
- In the realm of crime-and-justice, Congressional representatives are expressing concern that some of Iran's secret nuclear capabilities remain hidden and may have been moved ahead of the US military strikes, out of reach of American bombing capacity, potentially hindering a full accounting of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.
