A 400kg stockpile of uranium, enough to produce up to 10 nuclear weapons, has gone missing, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance in an interview with ABC News. The uranium reportedly disappeared after the United States dropped six ‘bunker buster’ bombs on three Iranian nuclear facilities last week. The missing stock is enriched to 60 per cent, while uranium needs to be enriched to around 90 per cent to be used in a nuclear weapon. This unaccounted-for uranium is seen as a powerful bargaining tool for Iran if it decides to resume negotiations with the U.S. on a new nuclear deal. There were reports that Iran had moved the stockpile, as well as some equipment, days before the attack to a secret location- A claim which Israel has repeated.

Vance’s Interview With Western Media

Amid talks about the missing nuclear fuel, J D Vance said that Iran’s uranium stockpile might be buried beneath the three enrichment facilities struck by the US over the weekend. “Our goal was to bury the uranium, and I do think the uranium is buried…” Vance told Fox News. He also added that the US had also wanted to eliminate the stockpile, as well as to destroy Iran’s ability to convert the enriched fuel into a nuclear weapon.

In an interview with NBC following the strikes, U.S. Vice President JD Vance clarified that America was not at war with Iran, but firmly opposed its nuclear ambitions. “We’re not at war with Iran… We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, drawing a clear line between the country’s people and its nuclear activities.

Vance refused to confirm whether Iran’s nuclear facilities had been fully destroyed, explaining that he did not want to reveal any sensitive intelligence gathered on the ground. “We’re not at war with Iran…We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” Vance said.  However, he expressed strong confidence that the strikes had significantly set back Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapon, which, he added, was exactly what the operation had aimed to achieve.

Vance is seen declining to confirm whether Iran’s nuclear sites had been completely destroyed. He said that he did not want to reveal the “sensitive intelligence” the US had gained on the ground. However, he said he was confident that the strikes had significantly slowed down Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon. He added that this delay was exactly what the operation had aimed to achieve.

How The Movement Of Uranium Was Identified

Satellite images taken before the U.S. strike showed a line of 16 trucks outside the Fordow nuclear plant. The facility, built deep inside a mountain, is considered highly resistant to most missile attacks. Due to this, Israel requested the United States to deploy its B-2 ‘Spirit’ bombers and GBU-37 ‘bunker buster’ bombs in a targeted operation early Sunday. The bombs were dropped on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. Post-attack images showed significant damage to all three, but the trucks were missing. Post-attack images showed significant damage to all three, but the trucks were missing.

It is still unclear what exactly was moved and where it was taken. However, both the United States and Israel strongly believe that the material was transferred to another underground storage facility located near the ancient city of Isfahan.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that the last inspection of the site took place a week before Israel’s first attack on Iran. Speaking to the United Nations Security Council last week, he stressed that it is essential for the IAEA to resume inspections as soon as possible. Grossi also warned that continued military escalation is delaying this important work and reducing the chances of reaching a peaceful solution to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.