Tehran: Even a month after the US attacks on three major nuclear sites inside Iran, the effects of the airstrikes on June 22 remain unclear amid conflicting damage assessments. The strikes were part of what US President Donald Trump called “Operation Midnight Hammer” and targeted the nuclear facilities in the cities of Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
According to Deutsche Welle, the operation involved 125 aircraft and specialty B-2 bombers carrying 30,000-pound bombs officially designated as Massive Ordinance Penetrators, colloquially known as “bunker busters.” The strikes came after Iran resumed enrichment activity at Fordo following the US unilateral withdrawal from a nuclear agreement in 2018.
Iran had been enriching uranium to 60% purity at Fordo, well beyond the requirements for civilian nuclear power generation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported finding uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity at Fordo, nearing the threshold for weapons-grade uranium. The Fordo site, along with Natanz and Isfahan, was targeted in the operation.
Natanz, Iran’s largest uranium enrichment hub, can hold around 50,000 centrifuges. It has been targeted in past sophisticated attacks, including the 2010 Stuxnet cyberattack and other incidents that have damaged its enrichment capabilities. The Isfahan facility, suspected of hosting near weapons-grade nuclear fuel, was also targeted.
Despite the damage to these sites, the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium remains uncertain. Iranian sources claim the uranium has been moved to secure locations, while Israeli sources suggest it was distributed among the sites and not relocated. A senior Israeli official indicated some enriched uranium remains deep within the Isfahan facility.
The IAEA reported no increase in radiation levels following the strikes, as no active reactors were targeted. However, concerns exist over the potential leakage of uranium hexafluoride gas from storage tanks and pipelines. If released, this gas could form uranyl fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, a highly corrosive substance posing significant health risks.
Professor Clemens Walther of the University of Hanover noted that indications of uranium hexafluoride release have not led to widespread contamination beyond the site. He emphasized that the incident doesn’t pose a Chernobyl-style danger, as the radioactive inventory in enrichment facilities lacks fission products common in reactors.
The US strikes did not target Iran’s sole nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which operates with uranium supplied by Russia and is monitored by the IAEA. The plant’s spent fuel is returned to Russia to prevent reprocessing into weapons-grade material.