US officials say the strike on three major Iranian nuclear sites has destroyed its nuclear program, but independent experts analyzing commercial satellite imagery say that the country’s long -running nuclear enterprises are away from destruction.
“There are some important things that have not been hit at the end of the day,” says Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Montere. “If it ends here, it is a really incomplete strike.”
In particular, Lewis says that the strike has not touched Iran’s highly rich uranium shares.
“Today, it is still that material and we still don’t know where it is,” they say.
David Alberite, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, has agreed, “I think you have to believe that significant amounts of this rich uranium still exist, so it has not ended in any way.”
In view of the independent assessment strike, congratulations from the Trump administration are contrary to congratulations.
The US Army attacked Iran’s nuclear program on Sunday, local time on Sunday. Code-Nam “Operation Midnight Hammer”, the mission consisted of seven B-2 Spirit Bombers, carrying a large 30,000-pound bunker-bomb bomb, known as a large-scale ordinance.
It seems that a dozen bombs were used to attack Iran’s deep burial promotion in Fordo. Two weapons were also used to attack an underground centrifuga facility at Iran’s main enhancement place in Natanz.
Concurrent with bombing, an American submarine launched more than two dozen cruise missiles. Those weapons hit the entrances of buildings and tunnels at a third nuclear site in Isfahan.
A satellite image shows damaged buildings on the Isfahan atomic site. The site was killed by cruise missiles launched from the American submarine.
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“Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been destroyed,” said during a Pentagon press conference on Sunday during a Pentagon press conference. “Operations were planned by President Trump and it was fantastic.”
Both Lewis and Alberite say that the attacks can be well effective, although it is difficult to ask to ensure. Satellite imagery showed six deep holes in the ground around the Fordo and ash debris on most of the site. Alberite believes that bunker-bustlers were used to try and strike in the ventilation system of enrichment facility, as well as the main hall where uranium-rich centrifugs were placed.
“I think the objective of the attack was to take out the Centrifuse and the infrastructure and they think they complete it,” calls the albrite.
But as evidence that the strike may have recalled uranium shares, both the allyz and Lewis indicate commercial satellite imagination from the days before the strike. Images show trucks on two major sites – Isfahan and Fordo. Trucks appear as sealing tunnels that serve as the entrance to underground features used to store uranium, possibly in anticipation of an American attack.
The image supplied by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Montere shows trucks at the entrance of the Fordo enrichment facility a day before the US strike at the site. Experts believe that Iran could have removed the supply of highly rich uranium before the attacks.
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Both experts believe that Iranians could also take their rich uranium out of sites, which were in run-ups for US strikes.
“The truck -seen trucks in the imagery were clearly removing the goods,” says Alberite. “Anyone will assume that any rich uranium shares were removed.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency evaluated that according to independent experts in Iran, more than 400 kg of 60% rich uranium in Iran is rich in 235 – enough for about ten bombs. Alberite says that 60% rich uranium is transported in relatively small containers that can easily fit into cars.
Although Alberite believes that the program has been largely set back, they feel that it can still be reorganized.
Alberite says that Iran may also have thousands of uranium-rich centrifugas which were never installed in Natanz and Fordo. It may be possible to move uranium to another, secret facility, where it can be enriched up to 90% of the required for nuclear weapons in a relatively short time. Nevertheless, Iran will have to take more steps to fashion in a weapon to uranium.
“The program has been seriously set back, but there are lots of obstacles and ends,” says Albreet. He eventually thinks that the only way to really eliminate Iran’s nuclear program is through additional nuclear inspection from the Iranian regime and additional nuclear inspection by cooperation, perhaps although there are some types of diplomatic agreements.
Lewis agrees: “Even the most magnificent bombing campaign, maybe we will not find where we want,” they say.
