The Fordow Plant in Iran has become the centre of new revelations after US military strikes. While US President Donald Trump declared that the nuclear sites were “completely and totally obliterated,” Israeli officials told The New York Times that Iran had already moved a large stockpile of uranium and key equipment before the attack, possibly outsmarting the US.
Fordow Plant Uranium Moved
US airstrikes directly hit the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, one of Iran’s main nuclear sites, along with Natanz and Isfahan. Satellite images confirmed that the Fordow site, located beneath a mountain south of Tehran, sustained heavy damage.
Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fools Donald Trump.
Iran’s uranium somehow vanished before the US missile strikes on the Fordow nuclear facility yesterday. pic.twitter.com/lChsWwyAYJ— Zyx (@thoughtfulsage) June 22, 2025
However, two Israeli officials revealed that Iran had already moved 400 kilograms of uranium, enriched to 60% purity, just below weapons-grade level, before the strikes. While the US administration delayed its decision on deploying ground forces, Iran used the opportunity to secure its uranium stockpile.
If Iran further enriches this stockpile, it could produce enough material for multiple nuclear weapons. Although the strikes raised concerns about radiation leaks, Iran assured that no radioactive materials remained at the targeted sites.
US Admits Intelligence Gaps
The New York Times reported that several senior US officials admitted they do not know the current location of the uranium. Vice President JD Vance confirmed this uncertainty in an interview with ABC, saying, “That’s one of the things that we’re going to have conversations with the Iranians about.”
His remarks show that future negotiations will likely focus on finding and controlling Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, gave assessments that directly contrasted with Trump’s bold claims. Both stated that the strikes caused significant damage but refused to describe the sites as destroyed.
The Israeli military backed this more cautious assessment. US forces used B-2 stealth bombers equipped with expensive bunker buster bombs to hit the Fordow Plant, which was long considered resistant to Israeli attacks.
This facility can produce enough weapons-grade material for up to nine nuclear bombs in less than a month, raising serious concerns about global security.
