The White House said on Thursday (June 26) that American intelligence had been monitoring Iran’s nuclear facilities “for weeks” before launching airstrikes that destroyed the country’s uranium enrichment infrastructure. But a few reports suggest Iran may have succeeded in moving substantial quantities of near weapons-grade uranium to secret sites before the attack.
“We were watching these sites very closely,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “There was no indication that Iran moved its enriched uranium out of the facilities before Operation Midnight Hammer.”
She described the strikes as “one of the most secretive and successful operations in United States history.”
“None of you knew about it”
Leavitt pointed out that the operation remained hidden from the media until bombs began falling.
“I think many of you in this room would agree with that because none of you knew in this room about the strike on Saturday until it took place,” she said.
She emphasised President Donald Trump’s goal of avoiding a prolonged military confrontation.
“He does not want the United States to be dragged into these conflicts again,” she said. “He’s not afraid to use strength if he has to, but the president has already proven he can put America first and deliver on peace.”
Ceasefire fragile as speculation grows
Leavitt and Hegseth fielded questions about the durability of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
“I think the fact that the president was able to successfully negotiate a ceasefire when nobody thought that was possible… it was a surprise to everyone in this room,” Leavitt said. “It was a surprise to the world, but the president got it done because he wants to see peace.”
Defense Secretary: No intelligence of Uranium transfer
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking earlier in the day said at Pentagon news conference he had seen no evidence Iran moved nuclear material in advance.
“I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise,” Hegseth said.
President Trump himself took to social media to dispute the idea Iran had successfully hidden enriched uranium.
“The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of [the] facility,” Trump wrote.
Satellite imagery tells another story
However, there is a different picture. Satellite images captured by Maxar Technologies on the days leading up to the strikes showed a long line of vehicles at the entrance to the deeply buried Fordow site.
Analysts said the images pointed to a “coordinated transfer operation.”
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that “most of the near weapons-grade 60% highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the U.S. attack.”
Two Israeli officials, cited by The New York Times, said intelligence reports indicated Iran removed roughly 400 kilograms—about 880 pounds—of uranium enriched to 60% purity in recent days. That level is just below the 90% threshold used for nuclear weapons.
Bombs targeted three facilities
US bombers used more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs to hit Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan early Sunday local time (June 21), in what Hegseth described as “historically successful strikes.”
The full extent of the damage and Iran’s remaining nuclear capacity remains under review.
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