The US military did not use the Bunker-Bush bomb last weekend in one of Iran’s largest nuclear sites, as the site is so deep that bombs were probably not effective, the US Supreme General said in a report on Thursday.
The comments of the Joint Personnel General Dan Caine, described by three people who heard his comments and fourth, who was introduced to them, is the first known explanation as to why US troops did not use the huge Ordnance penetration bomb against Isfahan’s central Iran. US officials believe that Isfahan’s underground structures contain almost 60% of Iran’s enriched with Uranus stocks, which Iran will need to ever produce a nuclear weapon.
B2 bombers in the US dropped over a dozen bunker-grip bombs in Iran in Fordow and Nathanz in nuclear sites. But Isfahan only struck the Tomahawk missile launched by the US submarine.
The classified briefing was led by Legislers by Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset, State Secretary Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Caine representatives did not return requests to comment.
Democratic elder Chris Murphy told CNN on Thursday night that after receiving a briefing, some Iranian options are “so far underground that we can never achieve them. So they have the opportunity to move a lot to places where there are no American bombing options that can achieve it.”
Early evaluation of the Defense Intelligence Agency the day after US strikes said the attack did not destroy the main components of the country’s nuclear program, including its enriched uranium, and probably only a few months back, CNN said. He also stated that Iran could have been transferred from enriched uranium from places before attacking them.
Trump officials who informed lawmakers this week included questions about the location of the Iranian -enriched Uranus reserves. President Donald Trump again said on Friday that no one had been transferred from three parts of Iran before the US military operation.
However, Republican lawmakers came out of classified briefings on Thursday acknowledging that US military strikes may not have eliminated all Iran’s nuclear materials. However, they argued that this was not part of the army mission.
“Enriched with Uranus, which is moving around, but it was not an intention or mission,” said Republican spokesman Michael McChaul of Texas. “My understanding is that it is still there. So we need detailed accounting. That’s why Iran has to come to the table directly with us, so (the International Nuclear Energy Agency) can pay for every ounce of enriched uranium there.
“The purpose of the mission was to remove certain aspects of their nuclear program.
“That’s where we are: the program was abolished in those three places. But they still have ambitions,” said Republican elder Lindsey Graham from South Carolina. “I don’t know where there are 900 pounds that are very enriched with uranium. But it was not a part of the targets there.”
“(Sites) have been destroyed. No one can use them at any time quickly,” Graham also said.
Air Force General Dan Caine leaves after that
Jeffrey Lewis, a weapon expert and professor at the Institute of International Studies, told CNN that commercial satellite images indicate that Iran entered the tunnels in Isfahane.
“On June 26, Isfahan had a moderate number of vehicles. At least one of the tunnel entrances was removed from obstacles until mid-June in mid-June,” said Lewis. “If Iran’s reserves (highly enriched Uranus) were still in a tunnel when Iran has stuck in the entrances, it can now be elsewhere.”
Additional satellite images on June 27th. Recorded Planet Labs, showing that the entrance to the tunnels was open at the time, Lewis says.
This image from the Planet Labs provided by Middlebury’s Institute of International Studies Monterey shows the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Research Center on June 27th. – Planet Labs – Planet Labs
The preliminary assessment of the DIA noted that the nuclear sites above the structure of the earth were moderately or severely damaged, CNN reported. This damage can make it much harder for Iran to get into the enriched uranium, which remains underground, said sources about what Graham mentioned on Thursday.
“These strikes have done a lot of damage to those three institutions,” Connecticut Democrat Murphy told CNN on Thursday night. “But Iran still has the knowledge to bring back a nuclear program. And if they still have that enriched material, and if they still have centrifugus, and if they still have the ability to move those centrifs very quickly to what we call cascades, we didn’t take it back to this program.
Caine and Hegseth said Thursday that the military operation against Fordow was exactly as planned, but did not mention Isfahan and Natanz’s effect.
CNN Manu Raju contributed to this report.
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