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Free Malaysia Today
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Satellite images indicate severe damage to Fordow, but doubts remain
A satellite image shows craters and ash on a ridge above Iran's Fordow underground uranium site following US airstrikes. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON : Commercial satellite imagery indicates the US attack on Iran's Fordow nuclear plant severely damaged – and possibly destroyed – the deeply-buried site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but there was no confirmation, experts said on Sunday. 'They just punched through with these MOPs,' said David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, referring to the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bombs that the US said it dropped. 'I would expect that the facility is probably toast.' But confirmation of the below-ground destruction could not be determined, noted Decker Eveleth, an associate researcher with the CNA Corporation who specialises in satellite imagery. The hall containing hundreds of centrifuges is 'too deeply buried for us to evaluate the level of damage based on satellite imagery,' he said. To defend against attacks such as the one conducted by US forces early on Sunday, Iran buried much of its nuclear programme in fortified sites deep underground, including into the side of a mountain at Fordow. Satellite images show six holes where the bunker-busting bombs appear to have penetrated the mountain, and then ground that looks disturbed and covered in dust. The US and Israel have said they intend to halt Tehran's nuclear programme. But a failure to completely destroy its facilities and equipment could mean Iran could more easily restart the weapons program that US intelligence and the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say it shuttered in 2003. 'Unususal activity' Several experts also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of Fordow before the strike early Sunday morning and could be hiding it and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel, the US and UN nuclear inspectors. They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showing 'unusual activity' at Fordow on Thursday and Friday, with a long line of vehicles waiting outside an entrance of the facility. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday most of the near weapons-grade 60% highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the US attack. 'I don't think you can with great confidence do anything but set back their nuclear programme by maybe a few years,' said Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. 'There's almost certainly facilities that we don't know about.' Arizona senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat and member of the senate intelligence committee who said he had been reviewing intelligence every day, expressed the same concern. 'My big fear right now is that they take this entire programme underground, not physically underground, but under the radar,' he told NBC News. 'Where we tried to stop it, there is a possibility that this could accelerate it.' Iran long has insisted that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. But in response to Israel's attacks, Iran's parliament is threatening to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of the international system that went into force in 1970 to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, ending cooperation with the IAEA. 'The world is going to be in the dark about what Iran may be doing,' said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. 'Double tap' Reuters spoke to four experts who reviewed Maxar Technologies satellite imagery of Fordow showing six neatly spaced holes in two groups in the mountain ridge beneath which the hall containing the centrifuges is believed to be located. General Dan Caine, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, told reporters that seven B-2 bombers dropped 14 GBU-57/B MOPs, 30,000-pound precision-guided bombs designed to drive up to 200 feet into hardened underground facilities like Fordow, according to a 2012 congressional report. Caine said initial assessments indicated that the sites suffered extremely severe damage, but declined to speculate about whether any nuclear facilities remained intact. Eveleth said the Maxar imagery of Fordow and Caine's comments indicated that the B-2s dropped an initial load of six MOPs on Fordow, followed by a 'double tap' of six more in the exact same spots. Operation Midnight Hammer also targeted Tehran's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, he said, and struck in Isfahan, the location of the country's largest nuclear research centre. There are other nuclear-related sites near the city. Israel had already struck Natanz and the Isfahan Nuclear Research Center in its 10-day war with Iran. Albright said in a post on X that Airbus Defence and Space satellite imagery showed that US Tomahawk cruise missiles severely damaged a uranium facility at Isfahan and an impact hole above the underground enrichment halls at Natanz reportedly caused by a Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bomb that 'likely destroyed the facility.' Albright questioned the US use of cruise missiles in Isfahan, saying that those weapons could not penetrate a tunnel complex near the main nuclear research centre believed to be even deeper than Fordow. The IAEA said the tunnel entrances 'were impacted.' He noted that Iran recently informed the IAEA that it planned to install a new uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan. 'There may be 2,000 to 3,000 more centrifuges that were slated to go into this new enrichment plant,' he said. 'Where are they?'
Bloomberg
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Reports Say US Strike Didn't Collapse Iran Sites
"Balance of Power: Late Edition" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On today's show, Gen. Frank McKenzie (Ret.), Former Commander of US Central Command, shares his views on reports that question the extent of damage done to Iran's nuclear sites following last weekend's US airstrike. Rep. Seth Moulton (D) Massachusetts discusses if the Trump Administration's strategy of maintaining secrecy on military operations by not notifying Democrats or other lawmakers on Capitol Hill is the new normal. Senator Bill Hagerty (R) Tennessee shares his thoughts on the latest with the Tax Bill and if the legislation will meet its July 4 deadline. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Gen. McKenzie: Damage Assessment of Iran Will Take Time
Gen. Frank McKenzie (Ret.), Former Commander Of US Central Command, shares his views on reports that question the extent of damage done to Iran's nuclear sites following last weekend's US airstrike. Gen. McKenzie also discusses whether Iran will face more airstrikes, and what to make of the temporary ceasefire. He speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's 'Balance of Power.' (Source: Bloomberg)
Globe and Mail
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Iran and Israel agree to a ‘complete and total' ceasefire, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday declared the '12 day war' between Israel and Iran as likely ending in a ceasefire, validating the strategic gamble of a devastating U.S. airstrike this weekend on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,' Trump posted on social media, although there was no immediate word from either country on the announcement. The ceasefire would start with Iran and then joined by Israel 12 hours later, with Trump saying the respective sides would 'remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.' The phased-in ceasefire means the war could end as soon as Wednesday. 'This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!' Trump said. Iran vs. Israel and the United States: The trajectory of war so far Ottawa warns Canadians in Qatar and Bahrain to beware of missile debris The announcement came after Iran attempted to retaliate for the U.S. assault with a Monday missile strike aimed at a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Trump separately thanked Iran on social media for giving the U.S. and allies 'early notice' of the retaliation. The President expressed hope that Tehran – with its reprisal for the U.S. bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities – had 'gotten it all out of their 'system'' and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war, an event that occurred a few hours after the posting. 'I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,' Trump said on social media. 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.' The Iranian attack on U.S. forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran's first act of direct retaliation against the U.S. since Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
South Korea industry ministry flags concerns over US strike on Iran
SEOUL (Reuters) -A South Korean vice industry minister expressed concern on Monday over the potential impact on the country's trade from recent U.S. strikes on Iran. "As the Middle East situation enters a new phase due to the U.S. airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities, there are concerns about the impact on our exports and imports," first vice industry minister Moon Shin-hak said at a meeting to monitor monthly exports, according to the ministry. South Korea is Asia's fourth-largest economy and depends heavily on exports. Officials on Sunday held an emergency security meeting to assess the potential economic impact of the U.S. military action. Seoul has deepened its reliance on crude oil imports from the Middle East, which accounted for 72% of total imports in 2023. Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since January and market participants are bracing for further price gains amid fears that an Iranian retaliation may include a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global crude supply flows. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will not attend the NATO summit this week, citing uncertainties caused by the Middle East situation, his office said earlier. Sign in to access your portfolio
