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Israeli intelligence believe that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had not been removed from the Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites before they were struck by the United States last month amid Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported on July 10, citing a senior Israeli official.
The stockpiles of some 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent had not moved since the strikes also, the unnamed official told Reuters.
The official suggested, however, that the Iranians might still be able to gain access to the enriched uranium at Isfahan but that it would be very difficult to remove it.
While there is a general belief that 90 percent enriched uranium is strictly needed to manufacturer a nuclear weapon, the International Atomic Energy Agency actually considers highly enriched uranium, which is defined as uranium enriched to 20 percent or greater, as a “direct use” material, meaning it “can be used for the manufacture of nuclear explosive devices without transmutation or further enrichment.”
Speaking on Fox Business during his visit to the U.S., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on July 9 that Israel remains concerned about Iran’s supply of enriched uranium.
“We think we know where it is, it’s sort of buried underground, and we don’t have contrary information,” the primer said when asked about the current whereabouts of the enriched uranium.
Addressing Israel’s campaign against Iran, Netanyahu said, “The one thing that we didn’t deal with that we knew we didn’t deal with was the enriched uranium.”
“So it has to be made clear to them, and I think it has been, that they don’t get this enriched uranium,” he continued.
Netanyahu added that enriched uranium “is not enough to make atomic bombs — it’s a necessary component, but it’s not sufficient.”
Israel “want[s] that necessary component to be under control too,” he said, adding that “I think the Iranians understand that what the US and Israel did once we could do twice, and thrice.”
So far, Iran has remained silent on the fate of its enriched uranium stockpiles. While the Islamic Republic has always maintained that it was not interested in acquiring nuclear weapons, the recent U.S.-backed Israeli attack may have changed many opinions in Tehran.
If the enriched uranium is indeed still under the rebel of the three targeted nuclear sites, a lot of efforts will be needed to retrieve it. This can be done, however.
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