Has the Nuclear Threat Been Eliminated? What Did the US Strikes Achieve?
Following the strikes by the United States on Iran’s nuclear facilities, serious debates have erupted in global media and among international experts. Did the strikes truly eliminate Iran’s nuclear program? Or is this only a temporary halt?
Intelligence: the nuclear program was not fully destroyed
According to information released by CNN and The New York Times on June 24, although US strikes on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear complexes caused significant damage, they did not completely dismantle the program. Remarkably, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies issued independent statements, diverging from the White House.
These reports provoked the anger of President Trump. He called journalists “losers” and “trash,” claiming they should apologize to military pilots. White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt also described these doubts as a political attack against the president.
Targeted facilities and their condition
US officials stated that 12 bunker-busting bombs weighing 13.6 tons each were dropped on the Fordow nuclear facility. Additionally, Tomahawk missiles were launched at Natanz and Isfahan complexes from both aircraft and submarines. However, according to Bloomberg, citing satellite images and sources from the IAEA, the attacks mainly damaged above-ground structures, while the reactors remained intact.
As a result, no radioactive leaks were recorded from the reactors, which is one of the main arguments suggesting limited damage.
Were centrifuges and enriched uranium moved in advance?
Interestingly, intelligence reports suggest Iran anticipated potential strikes on these facilities and preemptively moved enriched uranium reserves and key centrifuges to secret locations. Moreover, it is said that there are hidden laboratories located away from the public eye within the country.
This means that Iran had already prepared backup plans and did not rely solely on large-scale facilities for its nuclear program.
Israel’s role should not be forgotten
Experts emphasize that Israel encouraged the US to participate in the strikes. The GBU-57A bombs held by the US are capable of reaching underground mountain facilities like Fordow. After these strikes, Israel expressed concern for its security and insisted on a necessary response to Tehran.
Tehran’s official position: our program will continue
Iran, without hesitation, stated that it will continue its nuclear program. Officials said the strikes were insufficient to stop the program and that they would reactivate operations with new strategies.
Tensions leading to a global crisis
Now the global community is asking: did the US and Israel eliminate the nuclear threat, or have they pushed the world into a new dangerous phase? Analysts stress that unless political and diplomatic approaches are intensified, future strikes may repeat past mistakes.
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