Did Iran transfer enriched uranium before the attack?

The White House announced on Wednesday that there is no evidence that Iran moved its stockpile of highly enriched uranium prior to the US airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt confirmed to Fox News that Washington hadn’t received any information indicating that Tehran had smuggled uranium prior to the strikes.

She added that reports to the contrary were incorrect, asserting that what remained at the targeted sites was buried under massive rubble as a result of the successful airstrikes that took place Saturday night.

These statements came in the wake of widespread controversy sparked by a secret US intelligence report, published by US media outlets, questioning the impact of US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

From his part, US President Donald Trump responded strongly, criticizing what he described as inaccurate leaks and asserting that the strikes succeeded in completely destroying the three nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Despite these statements, experts believe there is a possibility that Iran may have moved or emptied approximately 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium from its nuclear sites before the strikes.

In this context, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General, Rafael Grossi stated in an interview with Fox News that there is currently no precise information on the location of enriched uranium after the strikes.

He confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program has suffered a setback, but indicated that the extent of the damage remains unclear.

From the Iranian side, Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, emphasized that Iran still maintains its uranium stockpile, asserting in a post on X, “the game isn’t over!” noting that the enriched material, technical know-how, and political will remain.

In this regard, CNN quoted a classified document stating that the US strikes only delayed Iran’s nuclear program for a few months, without completely eliminating it, in clear contradiction to Trump’s statements.

In contrast, John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence, confirmed that reliable information indicates that Iran’s nuclear program has suffered significant damage, and that restoring facilities will take “years,” not months.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday morning to defend the effectiveness of the US strikes, emphasizing—according to Trump— “the dignity of our great American pilots”.