Reuters: Iran secretly relocates most enriched uranium from Fordow before US strike photo / update

Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran's state broadcaster, has said that most of the enriched uranium was removed from the Fordow facility ahead of the US strike.

"The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots," he said, Caliber.Az reports via Reuters. 

The majority of personnel had been evacuated from the underground uranium enrichment plant, located 80-90 meters below ground near the city of Qom, approximately 150 kilometers south of Tehran.

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Deputy political director of Iran's state broadcaster Hassan Abedini has said that Iranian authorities evacuated personnel and sensitive materials from three nuclear facilities prior to US airstrikes on June 22 morning.

Abedini stated that the evacuation was carried out some time ago after Iran received advance notice of the planned US attacks, Caliber.Az reports via BBC. 

Crucially, stockpiles of enriched uranium were removed from the nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan ahead of time, reducing the risk of radioactive contamination resulting from the strikes. 

While Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the country’s nuclear agency have not yet officially confirmed these reports, they are consistent with observations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which recently stated there has been no detected increase in radiation levels outside the targeted facilities.

Multiple reports have recently surfaced claiming that the US carried out airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites, including the heavily fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, as well as facilities in Natanz and Isfahan.

US President Donald Trump described the mission as a “very successful attack” intended to severely damage Iran’s nuclear capabilities, asserting that the targeted locations were “completely and fully obliterated.” The operation is said to have involved US warplanes and was reportedly coordinated with Israel, which had launched earlier strikes to degrade Iran’s air defenses ahead of the American assault.

By Naila Huseynova