Iran May Have More Underground Nuclear Sites For Uranium Enrichment: Report

NDTV

7 days ago

Despite a series of strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, experts warn that the Islamic Republic likely has more underground sites that could be rapidly converted into uranium enrichment facilities.
"I bet they dug a lot of facilities and didn't put anything in them," Jeffrey Lewis, professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told The NY Post. "Then they have opportunities to move different things around [like the materials from Fordow] and to bring different facilities into operation."
The warning comes amid questions about the fate of Iran's nuclear stockpile. While President Donald Trump declared that Iran's key sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were "completely and totally obliterated," US and Israeli intelligence now believe Tehran moved a substantial amount of enriched uranium and equipment out before the attacks.
"We don't know what was taken away but, obviously, it was something important," said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security. "They had stocks [of enriched uranium] and they had centrifuges. So, those are things they could have removed."
Mr Albright has previously identified a new underground complex south of Natanz, which he says could be converted into a fully operational enrichment facility. "Could be [where the uranium went]," he said. "But I think Israel would know that, they certainly are capable of following those trucks."
He said Iran is unlikely to resume enrichment immediately, as the regime is too destabilised and risk-averse in the short term. Still, Mr Albright warned the pause may not last. Within "six months", Tehran could regroup and begin operating centrifuges to enrich uranium to 60 per cent.
Emily Harding, director of the Intelligence and National Security and Technology Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Iran's nuclear strategy is defined by redundancy and long-term planning. "One thing that Iran has continued to do is dig deeper and prepare. They love keeping their options open."
On June 12, a day before Israel struck Iran, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, announced that the country had completed construction of a new enrichment site.
"The new site is fully constructed and located in a secure, invulnerable location," Mr Eslami said. "As soon as centrifuge installation and setup are complete, enrichment will begin."
Iran's efforts to expand military infrastructure underground have also been widely publicised. In 2023, Ali Reza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, announced that Iran had constructed 2,200 km of "underground cities" to house advanced weapon systems.
These fortified networks reportedly contain missile launchers, drone platforms, oceangoing helicopter carriers, and warships, many of which are linked to Iran's southern waterways and offshore islands.
Despite Iran's military buildup, the central concern remains its nuclear material. US Vice President JD Vance admitted Sunday that enriched uranium, enough to construct up to ten nuclear bombs, remains unaccounted for.