Iran may have moved 400 kg uranium, enough for 10 nukes, before US strikes

Even as US President Donald Trump triumphantly declared that Iran’s nuclear programme had been “completely and totally obliterated” after US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities on Sunday (June 22), it appears that about 400 kg of near-bomb-grade uranium – sufficient to make about 10 nuclear weapons – was spirited away by the Iranians before the strikes.

Vance’s ambiguous remarks

US Vice President JD Vance told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that “we are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel”.

He, however, emphasised that Iran’s potential to weaponise that fuel had been set back significantly by the bombing, and that it no longer had the right equipment to convert the fuel into weapons.

Also Read: How US used decoys, stealth bombers to strike key Iranian nuclear sites

Vance also told Fox News’ “Special Report” on Monday (June 23) that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile “is buried” after the bombing.

‘Uranium was moved’: Israeli officials

Two Israeli officials have reportedly told the New York Times that Iran had moved a “significant amount of uranium and other equipment” from the Fordow nuclear plant before the US bombing.

There are reports that the Iranians moved the uranium stockpile and other equipment to a secret location days before the airstrikes.

Also Read: Do the US, Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites pose radiation risks?

A satellite image taken before the bombing showed a line of trucks outside the entry gate of the Fordow plant.

Satellite images taken after the bombing showed substantial damage to the nuclear plant, but the trucks were missing.

IAEA director general’s admission

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said his team of United Nations inspectors had last seen the uranium about a week before Israel started its attacks on Iran.

On Sunday, in an interview with CNN, he said that “Iran has made no secret that they have protected this material”.

Also Read: What are bunker-buster bombs that US unleashed on Iran's Fordo nuclear facility?

Later during the day, when Grossi was asked by text whether he meant that the fuel stockpile had been moved, he replied, “I do.”

Iran’s pre-emptive move

It appears that Iran may have outsmarted the US in a pre-emptive move.

They seem to have reacted to Trump’s repeated threats to take military action, and shifted the uranium stockpile to a safe location before the US bombing could begin.

Also Read: US strike on Iran: What it means for the world

The 400 kg of missing uranium is believed to have been enriched up to 60 per cent. The uranium needs to be enriched up to 90 per cent to be converted to a nuclear weapon.

The Iranians could use this stockpile of uranium as a powerful negotiating tool when they decide to resume talks with the US on a new nuclear deal.

American bombing

About seven American B-2 bombers dropped bunker-buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday in a 37-hour military operation.

Experts say that with the type and amount of munitions used, it would set back the Iranian nuclear weapons programme by two to five years.

Also Read: The multiple casualties of US attack on Iran

But the question of the missing 400 kg of uranium remains.