The strike was supposed to end it. Tehran’s uranium enrichment network, hit from the air and inside its bunkers, was labeled “completely obliterated” by Donald Trump. The claim came fast. So did the pushback.
Recent leaks from the Pentagon suggest a more restrained result. Officials now believe Iran’s capabilities have been delayed by months, not erased. Surveillance imagery confirms direct hits on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. But it also shows movement before the impact. That movement was enriched uranium. About 900 pounds of 60% material, shuttled away from at least two targeted locations in the days leading up to the bombing. That amount can yield multiple warheads with minor refinement.
Israeli outlets citing intelligence officials say they know where it went. They are holding back, not striking. Their reason remains unclear. Some of it may now sit under what is being called Iran’s newest nuclear fortress. Construction is underway near Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, now nicknamed Pickaxe Mountain. The site is deeper underground than Fordow, built with thicker concrete, surrounded by natural camouflage, and forbidden to the IAEA. Tehran has flatly denied agency requests to inspect the site.
The regime voted to fully suspend cooperation with international inspectors. That decision came just days before the latest executions. Three men were hanged in Urmia Prison, accused of espionage and possessing tracking devices. Iranian state media said they were caught coordinating with foreign entities. They were not named. Israel has not commented.
Meanwhile, inside Iran, something else surfaced. A video showed General Esmail Qaani alive in Tehran. The man believed killed in the first wave of Israeli strikes, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, walked into a government gathering and waved at cameras. His face unbruised. His gait steady. The message was scripted without being spoken.
Israel says boots were on the ground during the operation. This came from Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. He said Israeli commandos entered Iran before and during the strikes to destroy defenses and secure targeting. Not drones. Not cyber units. Actual soldiers. He claimed the damage rolled back Iran’s ambitions “by years,” though intelligence services remain cautious with that timeline.
The United States remains divided. Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding briefings after reports surfaced undermining the claim of total success. Senator Marco Rubio has launched his own campaign to contain what he calls “dangerous leaks” from within the defense community. The White House has not commented on the discrepancy between Trump’s public comments and the internal assessments.
Photos from Tel Aviv and Haifa show the cost on Israel’s side. Buildings leveled. Streets torn. Sirens still echoing across residential blocks. Trump’s office helped broker a pause in strikes. The ceasefire is holding, though regional analysts warn it is only paper-thin.
The uranium is missing. The mountain is rising. The general is alive.
Sources
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-859032
https://www.newsweek.com/irgc-commander-qanni-alive-israel-strike-2090365
https://www.stltoday.com/collection_0981e4e7-b237-5887-88aa-202f80f5b732.html
https://rollcall.com/2025/06/25/democrats-seek-iran-intel-as-doubts-grow-over-strikes-effectiveness/
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-intelligence-2672436183/
https://politomix.com/nyt/2264647/rubio-mounts-pushback-against-report-iranian-nuclear-damage/