A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Thursday that Israeli intelligence indicates Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles were located at the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities prior to the recent airstrikes—and remain there. They were not relocated, according to the official.
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He added that while the Iranians might still have access to the Isfahan site, it would be difficult to move any materials from the location.
The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have raised a major dilemma: how to determine whether Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles—some near weapons-grade purity—were destroyed, buried under rubble, or hidden elsewhere.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), having more than 400 kg of uranium enriched up to 60% purity—close to the 90% needed for nuclear weapons—is sufficient, if further enriched, to produce up to nine nuclear bombs.
Following the airstrikes on the three key Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—U.S. President Donald Trump declared the facilities were “wiped out” using American munitions, including bunker-buster bombs.
However, the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) estimated that the strikes delayed Iran’s nuclear program by at least two years—a claim that contradicts a classified U.S. intelligence report cited by American media, which suggested the damage may have only set the program back by a few months.
Other intelligence assessments also indicated that Iran still holds stockpiles of enriched uranium and retains the technical capability to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure.
On Tuesday, the head of France’s foreign intelligence agency (DGSE), Nicolas Lerner, stated that there is consensus that only a small portion of Iran’s high-enriched uranium stockpile was likely destroyed. He also noted that some quantities remain in Iranian possession and cannot be precisely tracked.
In an interview with France’s LCI channel, Lerner said the airstrikes have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by several months, acknowledging that although France has indicators about the location of Iran’s uranium stockpiles, no one can pinpoint their whereabouts until IAEA inspectors are allowed back into Iran.
Lerner added:
"Whether it’s uranium enrichment capability, warhead design, or missile integration—our assessment is that every phase of the program has been significantly and severely damaged."
"The Iranian nuclear program, as we knew it, has been seriously set back."
He emphasized the need for broader verification, stating:
"No intelligence agency in the world could provide a complete and accurate assessment of the aftermath within hours of such strikes."
