(Adnkronos) – Most of the enriched uranium accumulated by Iran would be buried under the rubble of the Isfahan and Fordow nuclear sites, hit in recent US attacks. This was assured by CIA director John Ratcliffe during a classified hearing with members of Congress, according to what was revealed to Associated Press by a senior US official, quoted by American and Israeli media. Ratcliffe explained that, even if the radioactive material were partly recoverable, the destruction of the only structure for the metallurgical conversion of uranium represents a “monumental” blow to the Iranian nuclear program.
According to US intelligence, the loss of this facility has effectively deprived Tehran of the technical capacity necessary to build an atomic bomb, at least for several years. Ratcliffe insisted on the strategic importance of the operation, illustrating to parliamentarians how the raids compromised one of the key phases of the Iranian nuclear cycle. The three plants hit by the raids – Isfahan, Fordow and a third unspecified site – constituted the main centers of the program, and their destruction, according to Washington, has imposed a significant delay on Iran that is difficult to bridge in the short term.
