Iran may have moved enriched uranium before US strike, raising fears of secret nuclear effort

Satellite picture provided by Maxar Technologies and taken on June 19, 2025, shows Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) (Image: AFP)

The success of the recent US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure may hinge on a single unresolved issue: the fate of Iran’s 408 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity.

While US President Donald Trump announced that key nuclear sites had been “completely and totally obliterated,” multiple experts warn that Iran may have anticipated the assault and relocated the material, potentially allowing it to preserve the most dangerous component of its nuclear programme, the Financial Times reported.

This stockpile of highly enriched uranium is considered just short of weapons-grade. If Iran were to enrich it further to 90%, experts believe it would be enough to produce multiple nuclear bombs. “It comes down to the material and where it is,” said Richard Nephew, a former US official who helped negotiate with Iran under the Obama and Biden administrations. “We don’t have any real confidence that we’ve got the ability to get it any time soon.”

Iran suggests uranium was moved in time

An unnamed Iranian regime insider told the Financial Times that it would have been “naive” to store the enriched uranium at the bombed sites of Natanz, Fordow, or Isfahan. “The enriched uranium is untouched now,” he said. If true, the strike may have inflicted physical damage without significantly setting back Iran’s nuclear capability.

Iran’s senior adviser Ali Shamkhani seemed to echo this defiant posture, writing on X: “Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, [the] game isn’t over. Enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, political will remain.” Though Iran continues to claim that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, officials have recently hinted that the doctrine could shift in response to continued attacks.

Bombed sites suffered damage, but not full disruption

US officials confirmed that Fordow and Natanz were hit by 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs, while the Isfahan facility was struck by dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles. Satellite images show extensive surface damage, especially around ventilation shafts at Fordow, which could compromise the underground halls housing centrifuges. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been unable to inspect the facilities since the bombings began, leaving a critical gap in verification.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi acknowledged that while there was “significant physical damage,” the agency cannot yet assess how much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure survived. Without ground access, it is also unclear whether any enriched uranium was destroyed or simply relocated.

Experts warn of covert rebuilding effort

Some nuclear experts say the attack may only encourage Iran to deepen its secrecy. “There is no military solution that will completely eliminate this programme,” said Dana Stroul, a former Pentagon official. Others point out that Iran already possesses the knowledge, personnel, and some equipment to restart enrichment covertly. Israeli intelligence has warned of clandestine facilities and hidden centrifuge production lines that could support a smaller, secret programme.

What comes next may be harder to stop

The US administration has said it remains open to diplomacy, but with inspections stalled and Iran vowing “everlasting consequences,” the path to a peaceful resolution appears narrower than ever. As Crisis Group analyst Ali Vaez noted, “If the programme survives, it’ll either become a clandestine weapons programme or, in case of a deal, a neutered civilian programme without access to nuclear fuel cycle technology.”

In the aftermath of a dramatic military campaign, the future of Iran’s nuclear ambitions—and global efforts to contain them—may once again depend on intelligence, diplomacy, and the uncertain location of a few hundred kilograms of enriched uranium.