Iran May Still Have Nuclear Breakout Capacity Despite U.S.-Led Strikes, Experts Warn
by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Iran is suspected of hiding “hundreds if not thousands” of advanced centrifuges in secret locations across the country, raising renewed fears that Tehran retains the capacity to build a nuclear weapon despite U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on its known facilities, The Telegraph reported Monday.
Sima Shine, a former senior Mossad official and one of Israel’s top experts on Iran’s nuclear program, warned in an interview that Tehran “has all the capabilities” to build a bomb in the future. “I’m sure they have a hidden place somewhere with some hundreds, if not thousands of centrifuges,” she told The Telegraph. “They cannot do anything now, tomorrow, but in the future, they have all the capabilities.”
According to a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment cited by The New York Times, last weekend’s strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities may have only delayed the program by a few months. While the U.S. used 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs for the first time in combat, some of Iran’s enrichment halls are believed to be buried as deep as 500 meters underground—possibly beyond the reach of even these powerful munitions.
Despite President Donald Trump’s initial declaration that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was “totally destroyed,” the Pentagon has since acknowledged that while “extremely severe damage” was inflicted, full collapse of the underground complexes was not achieved. Satellite imagery reviewed by Maxar Technologies and TS2 Space shows convoys and trucks leaving Fordow and Isfahan days before the attacks, suggesting Iran successfully relocated its uranium stockpile and possibly centrifuges in anticipation of a strike.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has not had access to Iran’s key nuclear sites for four years, estimates that Iran possessed around 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity—enough, if further refined, to produce multiple nuclear warheads. “Not all the places where the material is known to Israel,” Ms. Shine noted, hinting at significant intelligence blind spots.
The Telegraph also reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has granted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sweeping authority over the country’s military and domestic response. “Sepah [the IRGC] now has control over everything in Iran,” a senior Iranian official confirmed to the outlet.
In parallel, one unnamed source with close knowledge of the Israeli operation told The Telegraph that while much of Iran’s uranium has likely been moved, the key scientific bottlenecks—especially those related to enrichment and weaponization—have been “significantly damaged.” Still, the same source admitted that “we didn’t get to 100 percent … but we degraded [the program] significantly.”
Fresh Israeli strikes on approach roads to Fordow earlier this week indicate that operations are ongoing. “We’re working very effectively to get the job done,” the source added.
Meanwhile, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency is not currently in a position to assess the full extent of the damage. “Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” he told the IAEA’s emergency board meeting.
The Telegraph also cited nuclear expert Dr. Becky Alexis-Martin of Bradford University, who cautioned that Iran could potentially rebuild its weapons program faster than expected—especially if some of its 60% enriched uranium stock survived the strikes. “Even if large enrichment plants have been successfully destroyed, smaller covert sites could complete the enrichment process,” she said.
Domestically, the IRGC appears to have tightened its grip on Iran’s political and military apparatus, while Iranian media have downplayed the airstrike damage to maintain public morale. Iran has suspended nuclear diplomacy for now, with Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi saying, “There is no point in continuing dialogue during ongoing strikes.”
Despite the airstrikes, Iran maintains that it remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and continues to enrich uranium “for peaceful purposes.” But experts and officials alike warn that Tehran’s nuclear intentions remain opaque—and the threat far from neutralized.
Latest Worthy News
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.