Israel-Iran War Image: AP/Republic
This morning the attacks on Iran’s Natanz uranium-enrichment facility were not carried out by Israel, but by the US. The IDF says it has not launched any attacks in the area, and cannot comment on US activities amid the war. Earlier, Israeli media had quoted a source as saying that America had used ‘bunker buster’ bombs to target this nuclear site.
At the same time, Iran, taking revenge and failing the Iron Dome, launched a major attack on Israel’s most secret ‘Dimona’ nuclear hub. At the time of writing, about 20 people have been injured in the Iranian ballistic missile attack in Dimona, most of them with minor injuries. According to rescue services, the missile fell directly on a building in the city.
On the other hand, there is a strong discussion in the American media that the Trump administration is making a strategy on ways and options to remove Iran’s nuclear material. Although the timing of any such operation is still unclear, a source said that the US President has not yet taken any decision in this regard.
According to two sources, the plans mainly focus on the possible deployment of troops from the secretive ‘Joint Special Operations Command’. It is an elite US military unit often tasked with the most sensitive anti-nuclear proliferation missions.
60% enriched uranium was collected
According to US media, as of last summer, Iran had accumulated about 972 pounds of 60% enriched uranium, which, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is just one step away from becoming weapons-grade material. The report also said that most of this uranium is buried under the nuclear sites that were bombed by the US last year under ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’. Although US officials have said the Trump administration has not ruled out plans to repatriate Iranian stockpiles, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said earlier this week that “it is an available option to them.”
Any mission to seize uranium would be potentially risky. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi pointed out that although not impossible, this action would require “extraordinary military capabilities”. He further said, “We are talking about cylinders that are filled with up to 60% highly contaminated uranium hexafluoride gas, so it is very difficult to handle.”
The U.S. intelligence community assessed last spring that Tehran was not trying to build nuclear weapons, and it continues to insist that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes. With Iran’s level of enriched uranium reaching 60%, the IAEA said Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to have enriched uranium to this level. Before the conflict broke out in West Asia, the US and Iran were involved in several rounds of talks aimed at resolving issues related to the country’s nuclear program.
America on the verge of achieving its goals?
According to Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who helped broker the talks, discussions between Washington and Tehran also focused on whether Iran’s highly enriched uranium could be converted into fuel by enriching it with low levels of uranium. This development comes just after the US President’s message on ‘Truth Social’ in which he said that America is on the verge of achieving its goals as it is considering ending its operations against Iran. Meanwhile, the US War Department shared an update on last week’s developments, saying thousands of Iranian targets were targeted under ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
US Central Command forces have damaged or sunk more than 120 Iranian naval vessels, including all 11 of their submarines. Earlier this week, Trump, Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Kane, paid tribute to the six crew members of the KC-135 Stratotanker; These members, along with seven other military personnel, lost their lives in ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
The post said, “The targets targeted under ‘Operation Epic Fury’ include command and control centers; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and intelligence bases; air defense systems; ballistic missile, anti-ship missile and surface-to-air missile bases; weapons production and storage bunkers; military infrastructure and communications capabilities; and naval ships and submarines.”
Amidst this ongoing conflict, Trump said that Washington is not demanding any kind of ceasefire. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said, “We can talk, but I don’t want a ceasefire. You don’t have a ceasefire when you’re literally destroying the other side. We’re not even thinking of doing that.”
Also read: Iran took revenge, big attack on Israel’s nuclear base