The United States is expressing grave concern after the reported disappearance of a large uranium stockpile, following recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. According to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, 400kg of uranium has gone missing. This quantity is believed to be sufficient to create up to 10 nuclear weapons. The uranium was enriched to 60%, a level that requires further processing to reach weapons grade. The U.S. used ‘bunker buster’ bombs in the strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities.
During interviews, Vance suggested the uranium might have been buried and reiterated that the focus was on stopping Iran’s nuclear program. He was careful not to reveal sensitive intelligence regarding the extent of the damage, but conveyed his belief in the operation’s success.
Satellite imagery captured before the attacks showed a line of trucks near the Fordow nuclear plant. Both U.S. and Israeli officials believe the material may have been moved to an underground facility near Isfahan. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, emphasized the need for inspections to resume promptly and warned that continued military escalation jeopardizes peaceful solutions to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.