Some enriched uranium survived US strikes on Iran nuclear sites, is still accessible: senior Israeli official

WASHINGTON — Parts of Iran’s stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium survived last month’s US airstrikes and could be accessed by Tehran’s nuclear engineers, according to a senior Israeli official.

Though the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was set back at least two years, the official told reporters in a Wednesday briefing, the Jewish state’s assessment is that some of the 60% enriched uranium at Isfahan — which was buried too deep to be hit — remains accessible, as are stockpiles at other sites.

Israel continues to monitor any attempts by Iran to root out the enriched uranium, the official noted.

While the Israeli military had kept a close eye on Tehran’s nuclear program for years, the official said that Iranian efforts to build a weapon had stepped up following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah last September.

The US strikes by B-2 bombers June 21 decimated the nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow — and had been preceded by Israeli airstrikes that killed high-ranking Iranian military leaders and at least 14 nuclear scientists.