Did Iran anticipate US strike? Satellite images hint Tehran secretly shifted enriched uranium before US bombs hit Fordow

President Donald Trump on Sunday (June 22) claimed that US air raids had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s enrichment facilities. Yet, experts and officials remain cautious about the actual ground impact and the long-term damage to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Does Iran still have its enriched uranium?

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, insisted that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is intact, despite the strikes. In a post on X, he said, “Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, the game isn’t over, enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, and politics will remain. … Surprises will continue!”

Similarly, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, said, “They should know that this industry has roots in our country and the roots of this national industry cannot be destroyed. Of course, we have suffered damage, but this is not the first time that the industry has suffered damage.”

Is there evidence they moved uranium before the strike?

Iran claims it evacuated key facilities days before the US bombardment. Satellite images reportedly show 16 cargo trucks near the main tunnel at Fordow, suggesting they may have hauled out uranium or other equipment. The Open Source Centre in London also analyses such unusual activity as preparation for an imminent attack. Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran’s state media, said all enriched uranium had been cleared from Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, meaning there were no radioactive materials left to be struck.

Does Iran have other hidden enrichment sites?

Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation a few days ago said that they have another “secure and invulnerable location” housing centrifuges.