US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Thursday that he had seen no intelligence indicating Iran moved its stockpile of highly enriched uranium before recent US strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities.
“I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed suggesting materials were moved or not where they were supposed to be,” Hegseth said during a press briefing.
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The remarks come after experts speculated that Iran may have relocated near weapons-grade uranium from the Fordow facility ahead of Sunday’s strikes. Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed unusual vehicle activity at Fordow in the days leading up to the attack, fueling suspicions of possible transfers.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that most of Iran’s 60% enriched uranium—close to weapons-grade—had been moved to an undisclosed location before the US operation.
Hegseth dismissed these claims while accusing media outlets of underestimating the impact of the US strikes. His comments followed a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment suggesting the operation may have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by only a few months.
The Defense Secretary called the DIA report “low confidence” and cited CIA Director John Ratcliffe, saying newer intelligence indicates the strikes caused severe damage, potentially setting back Iran’s nuclear efforts by years.
