Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine in a Thursday press conference with Defense Secratary Pete Hegseth provided a detailed description of the American strikes and released video showing how bunker-buster bombs crippled Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities.
Caine revealed that the United States military had developed the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, better known as bunker buster bombs, more than 15 years ago, specifically with Iran’s nuclear program in mind.
He showed several military graphics and videos showcasing exactly how the bombers were to inflict extensive damage at Iran&#8217;s Fordo nuclear site.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Gen. Dan &#8220;Razin&#8221; Caine demonstrates how GBU-57 MOPs work: &#8220;Unlike a normal surface bomb, you won&#8217;t see an impact crater because they&#8217;re designed to deeply bury and then function &#8230; All six weapons at each vent at Fordow went exactly where they were intended to go.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/iQs3oWcJ4X">pic.twitter.com/iQs3oWcJ4X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938215092128231753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“All six weapons at each vent at Fordo went exactly where they were intended to go. A bomb has three effects that causes damage: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure,” Caine said. “In this case, the primary kill mechanism in the mission space was a mix of overpressure and blast ripping through the open tunnels and destroying critical hardware.“
Thursday&#8217;s press conference comes after the Trump administration accused CNN, The New York Times, and other legacy media outlets of attempting to torpedo the success of the strikes, quoting a leaked preliminary assessment that said the attack only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months.
“The majority of the damage we assessed based on our extensive modeling was a blast layer combined with the impulse extending from the shock. Imagine what this looks like six times over,” Caine added.
The media asked Gen. Caine if he was pressured to provide a rosy assessment of the destruction at Fordo, to which he pushed back, “No, I have not, and no, I would not.”
The U.S. strike on Fordo primarily focused on two ventilation shafts as the “primary point of entry into the mission space,” Caine said.
“In the days preceding the attack against Fordo, the Iranians attempted to cover the shafts with concrete to try to prevent an attack,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I won’t share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap, but you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything.”
“The cap was forcibly removed by the first weapon, and the main shaft was uncovered. Weapons two, three, four, five were tasked to enter the main shaft, move down into the complex at greater than 1,000 feet per second, and explode in the mission space. Weapon number six was designed as a flex weapon to allow us to cover if one of the preceding jets or one of the preceding weapons did not work. There were six on each side.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/thejointstaff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thejointstaff</a> Chairman General Dan Caine describes the devastating weaponry dropped on Fordow in last Saturday&#8217;s strikes: <a href="https://t.co/Ol9SE9rmvN">pic.twitter.com/Ol9SE9rmvN</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1938214162812879293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pete Hegseth – Dan Caine holds a joint press conference in DC

WATCH: Gen. ‘Razin’ Caine Unveils Footage Demonstrating Fordo Collapse After Devastating Iran Strike

Department of Defense

Fordo

Iran

News

Nuclear

Pete Hegseth

Trump Administration

U.S.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) revealed on Monday that U.S. intelligence contradicts claims that Iran moved nuclear materials before President Trump&#8217;s weekend airstrikes, which the senator believes &#8220;severely damaged, if not completely destroyed&#8221; Iran&#8217;s nuclear weapons capabilities.
Satellite imagery taken prior to the attack, circulating across social media over the weekend, revealed trucks surrounding Fordo allegedly poised to haul away all nuclear material, which the senator rejects.
&#8220;[Israel and Iran] are claiming that they moved some material,&#8221; Mullin said. &#8220;Our intelligence report says they didn&#8217;t. In fact, we actually believe they stored more of it in Fordo because they believe Fordo was impenetrable,&#8221; the Oklahoma Republican <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/23/us-iran-nuclear-fordo-mullin-intelligence.html">said</a> in an interview on CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box.&#8221;
The Fordo facility, located 300 feet underneath a mountain, was one of three Iranian nuclear sites targeted by American air strikes on Saturday, along with facilities at Natanz and Isfahan.
“We have the ability to destroy things that people think were undestroyable. And so we think we did a really good job,” Mullin said.
Spencer Faragasso, senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, echoed Mullin’s sentiment, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/06/22/iran-strikes-nuclear-site-damage-visuals/">telling</a> The Washington Post that the satellite images taken prior to the attack appear to feature dump trucks intent on reinforcing Fordo, not evacuating it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
High-res satellite imagery shows 16 cargo trucks entering tunnels at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility shortly before the U.S./Israeli strike—raising concerns Tehran may have secretly relocated enriched uranium or critical nuclear materials ahead of the bombing. <a href="https://t.co/IU5tyLZyG3">pic.twitter.com/IU5tyLZyG3</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1936979978576699830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
“If they evacuated any equipment, it had to happen prior to the filling of the tunnels,” Faragasso said, pointing out that using dump trucks to transport uranium and centrifuges could easily damage them, and hazardous chemicals could leak. “It would be a large and complicated undertaking.”
Experts told the Post that the tunnel entrances where the trucks were spotted appear to have been filled with dirt post-attack, either as a result of reinforcing the tunnels in preparation for a strike or from the shock wave caused by the bombing.
Senator Mullin, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the strikes had “severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, their ability to have a nuclear weapon,” but suggested the possibility of continued military action if necessary. &#8220;If we find that we didn&#8217;t completely destroy Fordo&#8217;s nuclear production capabilities, we will be working with our allies to finish the job, or we will finish the job.&#8221;
“We have made it very clear, President Trump has made clear for 10 years, we will not allow Iran, the world’s sponsor of terror, to have a nuclear weapon any way whatsoever,” Mullin added.
President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114734021412822365">declared</a> the strikes had “totally destroyed” Iran&#8217;s major enrichment facilities and blasted mainstream media outlets that attempted to contradict this assessment. “It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that’s why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW — ZERO CREDIBILITY!” the president posted on Truth Social.

DOD Secretary Hegseth And Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Caine Brief On Iran Strike

U.S. Intel Confirms Iran Failed to Move Nuclear Materials Before Trump Strikes, Senator Reveals

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Israel

Middle East

World

President Donald Trump scolded Russia for &#8220;casually throwing around the &#8216;N word'&#8221; on Monday after Russian Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia, along with other nations, were planning to send nuclear warheads to Iran.
Medvedev, the former president of Russia, <a href="https://x.com/MedvedevRussiaE/status/1936725778701701276">said</a> on Sunday that Iran&#8217;s &#8220;enrichment of nuclear material&#8221; and &#8220;the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue&#8221; after the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities in what the Trump administration called an &#8220;obliteration&#8221; of the Ayatollah&#8217;s nuclear ambitions. After the United States&#8217; attack on Iran, Medvedev added that multiple countries &#8220;are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114733380709403439">responded</a> to Medvedev&#8217;s comments, writing on Truth Social, &#8220;Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the &#8216;N word&#8217; (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination?&#8221;
&#8220;If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;The &#8216;N word&#8217; should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s &#8216;THE BOSS.'&#8221;
The president then praised the U.S. military&#8217;s &#8220;hardware,&#8221; which was put on display during the strikes on Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities on Saturday.
&#8220;By the way, if anyone thinks our &#8216;hardware&#8217; was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines. They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly,&#8221; he wrote.
Russia and Iran have found common ground in their anti-West sentiment for decades. Iran has recently supplied Russia with missiles that the country has used in its war against Ukraine, and Russia has <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-857124">reportedly</a> agreed to help Iran build eight nuclear power plants.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the U.S. attack on Iran on Monday, calling it “absolutely unprovoked,” The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/23/iran-russia-alliance-strikes-nuclear/">reported</a>. Putin added that U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict &#8220;is bringing the world to a very dangerous point.&#8221; Russia, however, has yet to take any action in support of Iran since the U.S. jumped into the conflict.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obliteration-is-an-accurate-term-trump-says-iran-satellite-images-show-monumental-damage?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=7&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98Obliteration+Is+An+Accurate+Term%21%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Says+Iran+Satellite+Images+Show+%E2%80%98Monumental+Damage%E2%80%99">said</a> on Sunday night that satellite imagery shows that “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran.&#8221;
“Obliteration is an accurate term!&#8221; he added.

Trump Tells Russian Leader To Stop Using The ‘N Word’ After Nuclear Threats

Dmitry Medvedev

Nuclear Weapons

Politics

Russia

Vladimir Putin

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dispatched his foreign minister to Moscow on Monday, seeking Russian President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s support after President Donald Trump ordered devastating strikes against Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reportedly arrived in Moscow carrying a letter from Khamenei specifically requesting Putin&#8217;s backing, senior sources <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/irans-supreme-leader-asks-putin-do-more-after-us-strikes-2025-06-23/">told</a> Reuters.
President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-israel-strikes-iran?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+Trump+Bombs+Iran%2C+Hits+All+Three+Nuclear+Sites+With+%E2%80%98Full+Payload%E2%80%99">ordered</a> strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian nuclear program was “devastated” and “obliterated.”
Reuters reported that Tehran has not been impressed with Putin’s tepid support thus far, and the letter requests that Putin take stronger measures backing Iran against Israel and the United States, though what assistance was being requested was not specified.
Putin met with the Iranian Foreign Minister in the Kremlin early Monday, where he blasted the &#8220;unjustified&#8221; U.S. attacks and warned that regime change could destabilize the region.
&#8220;The absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran has no basis and no justification,&#8221; Putin <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/irans-supreme-leader-asks-putin-do-more-after-us-strikes-2025-06-23/">told</a> the Iranian Foreign Minister, indicating a desire to calm the crisis. &#8220;For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people,&#8221; but again neglected to provide specifics.
Last week, Putin called for peace and offered Moscow&#8217;s services as a mediator, showing little appetite for direct confrontation with Trump as he fights a protracted war in Ukraine.
Russia’s peacemaker approach to the conflict comes only a year after signing a 20-year strategic partnership with Iran. The countries agreed to “work together against common military threats, develop their military-technical cooperation, and take part in joint exercises,” Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/iran-parliament-approves-strategic-pact-with-russia-2025-05-21/">reported</a>.
However, the partnership does not include a mutual defense clause that would obligate Moscow to defend Iran militarily against external attacks.
At the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, Russia joined China and Pakistan in proposing a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, with Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia comparing the situation to Colin Powell&#8217;s 2003 Iraq presentation.
“Again, we&#8217;re being asked to believe the U.S.&#8217;s fairy tales, to once again inflict suffering on millions of people living in the Middle East. This cements our conviction that history has taught our U.S. colleagues nothing,” the ambassador stated.
Putin has maintained communication with Israel during the escalating tensions. Israeli officials have reportedly assured Putin that Russian specialists currently helping build two additional reactors at Iran&#8217;s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant would be safe.
For Moscow, which has historically played a role in Iran&#8217;s nuclear negotiations with the West as both a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member and signatory to the original nuclear deal, the current crisis presents a delicate balancing act between supporting a regional ally and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.

Russian President Putin in Iran

Ayatollah Seeks Putin’s Support After Trump’s Crushing Strike On Iranian Nuclear Sites

President Donald Trump said on Sunday night that he viewed the satellite images of Iran&#8217;s major nuclear facilities following the United States&#8217; bombing mission, adding that American B-2 Bombers and a submarine hit the &#8220;Bullseye.&#8221;
&#8220;Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,&#8221; the president <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114730186433008075">posted</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;Obliteration is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply imbedded [sic] into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!&#8221;
On Saturday, Trump ordered bombings on Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, which were hit with &#8220;bunker busters&#8221; and Tomahawk missiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that the mission was an &#8220;overwhelming success,&#8221; adding that Iran&#8217;s nuclear ambitions were &#8220;obliterated.&#8221;
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/satellite-images-indicate-severe-damage-fordow-doubts-remain-2025-06-22/">reported</a> on the satellite imagery of the Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday, citing experts who said that Fordo was &#8220;severely damaged — and possibly destroyed.&#8221; It could be difficult to confirm the extent of the damage to Fordo, however, as the nuclear centrifuges are buried approximately 300 feet underground — too deep for satellite images to provide an accurate assessment, researcher Decker Eveleth told Reuters.
The images show six holes where &#8220;bunker buster&#8221; bombs penetrated the ground at Fordo. &#8220;Bunker busters,&#8221; dropped by American B-2 Bombers, are designed to drive down to 200 feet underground before blowing up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Close-up view of the likely GBU-57 impact holes at Fordow, June 22: <a href="https://t.co/IgmYVS5Dwc">pic.twitter.com/IgmYVS5Dwc</a>
— Evan Hill (@evanhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1936819664962666853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The United States appeared to drop another &#8220;bunker buster&#8221; on the Natanz nuclear facility, &#8220;likely&#8221; destroying it, according to David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear inspector.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Close-up view of likely GBU-57 impact location at Natanz. Unclear as of this post how many GBU-57 munitions were used in this strike, June 15 (L) June 22 (R): <a href="https://t.co/dtwDE1okML">pic.twitter.com/dtwDE1okML</a>
— Evan Hill (@evanhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1936837529157750941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Iran&#8217;s Isfahan facility was hit by more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles fired from an American submarine. A senior Israeli official <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/06/22/iran-strikes-nuclear-site-damage-visuals/">told</a> The Washington Post that Isfahan was &#8220;annihilated,&#8221; while Spencer Faragasso, senior research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, said that Isfahan was “severely damaged&#8221; and knocked &#8220;out of operation.&#8221;
A satellite image of Isfahan shows numerous buildings destroyed or damaged from the U.S. missile strike.
<div id="attachment_938049" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-938049" class="wp-image-938049 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-864x576.jpg 864w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GettyImages-2220784451-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Satellite image (c) 2025 Maxar Technologies.</div>
&#8220;The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be &#8216;monumental,'&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114728970221252806">said</a> in a Truth Social post earlier on Sunday. &#8220;The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!&#8221;

‘Obliteration Is An Accurate Term!’: Trump Says Iran Satellite Images Show ‘Monumental Damage’

Military

On Friday, the Oil Minister of Iran <a href="https://www.jpost.com/international/article-851626?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&amp;utm_medium=share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that Russia would fund the construction of a new nuclear plant in Iran.
“Iran and Russia will continue their cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the construction of new nuclear energy facilities and the completion of phases two and three of the Bushehr power plant using Moscow’s credit line,” Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/04/25/russia-fund-new-nuclear-power-plant-iran-bilateral-ties-deepen-amid-us-talks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “Multilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia through membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and OPEC+ has led to the provision of common interests, peace, stability, and international security, and I am confident that this cooperation will deepen.”
“Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law officially ratifying a <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/04/22/russia-ratifies-strategic-partnership-iran-strengthening-military-ties/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20-year strategic partnership agreement with Tehran</a>, further deepening their military cooperation,” the Algemeiner reported.
In January, Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran, which <a href="https://irangov.ir/detail/456479" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>, “The Contracting Parties shall confirm their commitment to develop military-technical cooperation.”
In 2007, Russia sent 80 tons of uranium fuel to Iran to help the Islamist dictatorship build a nuclear reactor in Bushehr. Russia stood to gain $1 billion, since the plant was to be constructed by the Russian state-owned Atomstroyexport.
Russia’s ties with the terrorist group Hamas, which acts as a proxy for Iran, run deep; roughly two weeks after the Hamas massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel in October 2023, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/garantex-russian-crypto-hamas-crime-sanctions-a3648357" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that a Moscow-based crypto exchange, Garantex, acted as a conduit for illicit funds for Palestinian terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre to finance their operations. “Digital wallets controlled by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which joined Hamas in the attacks, received a portion of $93 million via Garantex, according to analysis by researcher Elliptic, which said Hamas also used a similar financing strategy.”
“Russia has been actively engaged in expanding security and military ties with the Houthis, including providing weapons to the organization,” The Jamestown Foundation <a href="https://jamestown.org/program/russias-increases-ties-with-irans-axis-of-resistance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in November 2024. “Media reports indicate that Russian intelligence officers were spotted in the Houthis-held territory, and Moscow has even considered sending significant military support to the Iran-backed militia (<a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202409256862" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran International</a>, September 25).”
“The <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title22/chapter95&amp;edition=prelim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act of 2013</a> prohibits the ‘sale, supply or transfer of certain materials to and from Iran related to the regime’s nuclear, military, and ballistic missile programs and allows the president to submit sanctions waivers every 180 days containing exemptions based on national security reasons,” the Foundation for Defense of Democracies <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/policy_briefs/2025/01/22/russia-touts-illicit-nuclear-work-in-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in January. “Absent a waiver, the president is obliged to sanction foreign individuals and financial institutions that violate the act.&#8221;
The Obama administration issued waivers for certain Russian nuclear work in Iran as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, and upon taking office, the first Trump administration <a href="https://apnews.com/us-clamps-down-on-waivers-tied-to-irans-nuclear-cooperation-ef68a5ccab2f3e0b2247e0ebeda37147" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ended</a> U.S. participation in the agreement and the waivers. The Biden administration <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-administration-restores-sanctions-waiver-iran-talks-final-phase-2022-02-04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restored</a> the waivers soon after taking office to help restart Iran talks.

Iran-Life And Fun Under The Shadow Of Nuclear Power Plant

Russia Will Fund New Nuclear Plants In Iran

Governor Doug Burgum Visits FOX Business Network’s “The Big Money Show”

Make America Beautiful Again: An Interview With Doug Burgum, Secretary Of The Interior

Cabinet

China

Department of Interior

Doug Burgum

Elon Musk

Energy

interview

President Trump

Technology

Iran has dramatically increased its stockpile of enriched uranium in recent months following President Donald Trump&#8217;s election victory, according to a confidential report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Islamic regime has increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium — which is near the weapons-grade threshold of 90% — from 182 kilograms in late October to 275 kilograms as of early February, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-has-enough-highly-enriched-uranium-for-six-nuclear-weapons-07e6a0bd">reported</a>.
The surge in production of enriched uranium represents a 51%+ increase in just a little over three months.
Iran can further enrich that uranium to the 90% threshold needed to create a nuclear weapon in just a matter of days if it seeks to break out and build a nuclear weapon. With the amount of nuclear material the regime has, it could build at least six nuclear weapons.
Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), told The Daily Wire that the Trump administration should &#8220;seek a resolution penalizing Iran&#8217;s nuclear advances and continued violations of its safeguards obligations at next week&#8217;s IAEA Board of Governors meeting.&#8221;
&#8220;Such a resolution must provide a deadline for Tehran&#8217;s compliance and note that the United States and its allies will refer Iran&#8217;s case to the UN Security Council for the re-imposition of suspended UN sanctions, or &#8216;snapback,&#8217; prior to the October expiration of the snapback mechanism and sunset of all prior UN Iran resolutions,&#8221; Stricker said.
Stricker added: &#8220;If the Trump administration chooses to negotiate with the regime in Tehran, any deal that does not dismantle and disarm Iran&#8217;s enrichment, weaponization, and missile-delivery programs will not be worth the paper it is written on.&#8221;
The Telegraph <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-on-high-alert-over-potential-strike-by-u-s-israel-on-nuclear-sites">reported</a> on Tuesday that multiple high-level government sources confirmed to the publication that Iran has changed the preparedness level for its defense systems in response to fears that an attack is imminent.
The Islamic regime, which is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, is increasing its defenses around the nuclear facilities, including the deployment of anti-aircraft launchers.
“They [Iranian authorities] are just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert – even in sites that no one knows about,” one source told The Telegraph. “Work to fortify nuclear sites has been ongoing for years but it has intensified over the past year, particularly since Israel launched the first attack.”
Trump’s victory in November has only “further intensified the activities,” the source added.
The Iranian official who spoke to The Telegraph said there are serious fears in the country now that the United States could join Israel’s likely forthcoming strike, thus making it much larger and putting “the Islamic Republic’s existence in danger.”
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that analysis from both the Biden and Trump administrations has concluded that Israel is likely to carry out a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities this year as it looks to take maximal advantage of Iran’s weakened state.
Officials familiar with the report said that it indicated Israel believes President Donald Trump is far more likely to support its decision to take out the nuclear sites than former President Joe Biden.
The United States military believes that it would need to supply specific munitions for the strike, given that one of the facilities is buried under a mountain and the United States is the only country in the world that has powerful enough bunker-buster bombs to reach it.

Iran Begins To Fuel The Country’s First Nuclear Power Station

Iran Dramatically Increases Its Stockpile Of Enriched Uranium As Regime Grows Desperate

Iran Nuclear

A massive fire that broke out over the weekend at a factory in Iran is reportedly linked to the country&#8217;s nuclear program, raising suspicions that the fire was an act of sabotage.
Iran International <a href="https://www.iranintl.com/en/202410142621">reported</a> that the fire, which was not widely reported outside Iran, erupted in the Shadabad iron market in Tehran.
Israeli intelligence research center Intelli Times said that the fire “consumed two metal factories that were engaged in the production of chips for parts of centrifuges and valves that can be used by Iran&#8217;s nuclear industry.”
The report said that the damage from the fire was cross-referenced with satellite images of the industrial area and maps identifying the companies located at the facilities.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729017532575000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2HNJnrEMijaME5vR6GJo3l">MATT WALSH&#8217;S &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
One company that was burned down provides &#8220;engineering design and engraving services for the production of centrifugal compressors and valves,&#8221; while the other company that was burned down manufactured valves and pipes for the gas industry.
The valves and pipes can also be used by the nuclear industry to support uranium conversion and enrichment plants, the report said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A large fire erupted in the Shadabad Iron Market in Tehran, spreading across an area of 10,000 square meters, on October 12, 2024. The blaze has also affected several nearby warehouses and shops.<a href="https://t.co/XXp5apON3X">https://t.co/XXp5apON3X</a> <a href="https://t.co/zMqA58dFpm">pic.twitter.com/zMqA58dFpm</a>
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) <a href="https://twitter.com/IrnaEnglish/status/1845864617911742740?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Breaking: A massive fire has broken out in the Shadabad Steel and Iron Market in the Iranian capital, Tehran. <a href="https://t.co/yrK19T9NUb">pic.twitter.com/yrK19T9NUb</a>
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/1845148486037012805?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
Andrea Stricker, deputy director and research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy’s Nonproliferation &amp; Biodefense Program, called attention to the fire in a <a href="https://x.com/StrickerNonpro/status/1845652095841477107">post on X</a>, saying that it was &#8220;something to watch.&#8221;
&#8220;Israel reportedly not targeting Iranian nuclear sites in upcoming counter-strike may simply mean no aerial bombing,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Supply chain facilities mysteriously catching fire, exploding, sudden unexplained damage, might be a different story.&#8221;
Israel has a long history of <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2020/07/13/iran-could-face-a-summer-of-nuclear-sabotage/">sabotaging</a> and destroying Iranian nuclear facilities, including in the area where the fire broke out over the weekend.
Earlier this year, news broke that Iran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-covered-up-covert-israeli-operation-that-destroyed-secret-iranian-nuclear-facility">covered up</a> a covert Israeli operation in July 2020 that resulted in the destruction of an Iranian nuclear facility that was kept secret from international atomic regulators.
Iran International discovered the incident after sifting through millions of documents from Iran’s judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence that were stolen by hackers.
The publication stumbled upon a case in which nine defendants were charged with “confrontation with the Islamic government,” “sabotage,” “destruction of one of the Atomic Energy Organization’s devices,” “acts against national security through cooperation with Israel,” and possession of firearms and drugs.
An anonymous person claiming to be a disgruntled creditor contacted three brothers and asked them to hire a team of criminals to set the secret atomic workshop on fire. The brothers, who hired six additional cohorts, were paid 2.7 billion rials ($10,000 at the time) and told they would be paid more if they destroyed the facility by setting it on fire and filming it.
The nine defendants stormed the facility in an old neighborhood in southwestern Tehran with weapons, tied up the guard, and destroyed at least some of the equipment inside, the report said.
The attack “became one of the most significant national security issues in Iran, with reports reaching Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,” the report said.
All nine defendants were arrested within a month and were accused of acting on behalf of Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, commonly known as Mossad.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that it was never alerted by Iran to the existence of the facility, a clear violation of international law.
One of the puzzling aspects of the case was that Khamenei ordered harsh punishments for those behind the attack, and yet the most severe sentence handed down was only 10 years, while some got as few as just four years.
Iran routinely executes those who are accused of spying or acting on behalf of Israel or the United States.
A former member of Iran’s Parliament who has extensive knowledge of Iran’s nuclear activities told Iran International: “I am almost familiar with all the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic and have often seen these centers up close, but I have never heard of such facilities in the Shadabad area. Considering that the Ministry of Intelligence and the judiciary believe this incident was the work of Israel, we are definitely talking about an important workshop.”

IRAN-REFINERY-FIRE

Fire Breaks Out At Iranian Factory Linked To Nuclear Program: Report

Fire

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Islamic Republic of Iran</a> continues to push forward with a secret underground nuclear facility located south of the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant, according to newly released satellite imagery.
The Institute for Science and International Security compared the new images that were taken earlier this year with previous satellite images of the construction site at Kolang Gaz La mountain from 2022 and 2023.
&#8220;The site is slated to hold a new, large, advanced centrifuge assembly facility that replaces the Iranian Centrifuge Assembly Center (ICAC) destroyed in an attack in July 2020,&#8221; the report <a href="https://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/Continued_Construction_at_Natanz_Kolang_Gaz_La_Tunnel_Complex_March_25_2024_Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Iran is apparently determined to make the new facility harder to destroy. In fact, the tunnel complex is more deeply buried than the Fordow underground enrichment plant, with more entrances and no apparent ventilation shaft, making it harder to destroy than Fordow and certainly harder than a surface facility.&#8221;
The report added that Iran appears to have completed the construction of the tunnels and is now working on &#8220;construction inside the tunnel complex, likely related to the finishing of the underground rooms.&#8221;
Iran is further breaking international laws by refusing to comply with its obligations &#8220;under modified Code 3.1 of its comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA) to declare new nuclear facilities such as uranium enrichment plants in the design phase, and continued lack of full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),&#8221; the report added.
Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and the director of its Keystone Defense Initiative, slammed President Joe Biden&#8217;s appeasement of the Iranian regime in a statement to The Daily Wire.
&#8220;There could not be a U.S. team more eager to placate the Iran regime than this White House, and the approach has only encouraged the regime to become more belligerent, more dangerous, and willing to advance its illicit nuclear program,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We are running out of time to overhaul this Middle East strategy. Iran cannot be permitted to finish this site.&#8221;
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&#8220;Iran has successfully distracted the West from focusing on ongoing construction at the Natanz facility, which could allow the Tehran regime to complete a dash to nuclear weapons,&#8221; said Andrea Stricker, FDD Research Fellow and Deputy Director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program.
&#8220;Washington must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear deterrent and permanently changing the game in the Middle East,&#8221; she added.

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani

Iran Continues To Push Forward With Secret Underground Nuclear Facility

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/iran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Islamic Republic of Iran</a> covered up a covert Israeli operation in July 2020 that resulted in the destruction of an Iranian nuclear facility that was kept secret from international atomic regulators.
The revelation about the operation was made this week after a hacker group obtained millions of documents from Iran&#8217;s judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence.
Iran International discovered the incident after sifting through the documents and stumbling upon nine defendants who were <a href="https://content.iranintl.com/how-a-secret-atomic-workshop-in-iran-went-up-in-flames/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> with &#8220;confrontation with the Islamic government,&#8221; &#8220;sabotage,&#8221; &#8220;destruction of one of the Atomic Energy Organization&#8217;s devices,&#8221; &#8220;acts against national security through cooperation with Israel,&#8221; and possession of firearms and drugs.
An anonymous person claiming to be a disgruntled creditor contacted three brothers and asked them to hire a team of criminals to set the secret atomic workshop on fire. The brothers, who hired six additional cohorts, were paid 2.7 billion rials ($10,000 at the time) and told they would be paid more if they destroyed the facility by setting it on fire and filming it.
The nine defendants stormed the facility in an old neighborhood in southwestern Tehran with weapons, tied up the guard, and destroyed at least some of the equipment inside, the report said.
The attack &#8220;became one of the most significant national security issues in Iran, with reports reaching Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic,&#8221; the report said.
All nine defendants were arrested within a month and were accused of acting on behalf of Israel&#8217;s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, commonly known as Mossad.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that they were never alerted by Iran to the existence of the facility, a clear violation of international law.
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One of the puzzling aspects about the case was that Khamenei ordered harsh punishments for those behind the attack, and yet the most severe sentence handed down was only 10 years while some got as few as just four years.
Iran routinely executes those who are accused of spying or acting on behalf of Israel or the United States.
A former member of Iran’s Parliament, who has extensive knowledge of Iran&#8217;s nuclear activities, told Iran International: &#8220;I am almost familiar with all the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic and have often seen these centers up close, but I have never heard of such facilities in the Shadabad area. Considering that the Ministry of Intelligence and the judiciary believe this incident was the work of Israel, we are definitely talking about an important workshop.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-IRAN-SPACE-COMMUNICATIONS-OMID

Iran Covered Up Covert Israeli Operation That Destroyed Secret Iranian Nuclear Facility

Mossad

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Defense’s</a> (DOD) current nuclear weapons management presents a major risk to national security, per the latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
The GAO <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106735?utm_campaign=usgao_email&amp;utm_content=topic_natldefense&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, published on Thursday, found that the DOD has failed to resolve many oversight issues since 2021. The GAO — Congress’ auditing, evaluation, and investigative arm — also noted that problematic discontinuity in nuclear oversight structure began in the final week of the Trump administration.
“DOD has significantly modified its nuclear enterprise oversight structure multiple times since 2021, putting oversight continuity at risk and potentially affecting senior leaders’ ability to make informed decisions,” stated the GAO.
It was on January 14, 2021, six days before President Joe Biden took office, that Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller replaced the Nuclear Deterrent Enterprise Review Group (NDERG), which had addressed issues from nuclear enterprise reviews since 2014, with another group: the Secretary of Defense Nuclear Transition Review (SNTR). DOD then replaced the SNTR with another group last year: the Deputy’s Management Action Group (DMAG).
In an August 2021 <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-486" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> on SNTR, the GAO expressed concern that the group lacked specific roles and responsibilities, as well as procedures for internal and external communications.
Out of GAO’s three recommendations at the time, DOD has only implemented one: providing guidance to ensure the progress toward or completion of 2014 nuclear enterprise review recommendations. 
In a related January 2022 <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104061" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, the GAO issued four additional recommendations concerning DOD coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), the agency responsible for the nuclear weapons modernization and infrastructure. None of these recommendations have been met.
In its latest report, the GAO again <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24106735.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> the DOD to take up its unmet recommendations over the years: to clarify roles and responsibilities of oversight organizations; establish methods of communication and collaboration among oversight organizations; prioritize programs, projects, and activities within the nuclear enterprise; and monitor issues affecting the nuclear enterprise.
DOD’s oversight issues were identified as part of GAO’s review of the DOD’s nuclear triad modernization efforts. The nuclear triad are the land, sea, and air nuclear weapons that make up the nation’s deterrence system, all of which are decades past their planned service life.
The DOD estimates that modernization of the nuclear defense systems would cost about $350 billion over the next 20 years.
The land leg, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), currently consists of Minuteman III, a system nearly 50 years past its planned service life. The Minuteman III system is scheduled to be replaced by the Sentinel missile system in 2030.
The sea leg, ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), currently consists of the Ohio-class submarines originally designed in the 1970s to last 30 years. The DOD extended those SSBNs’ service life to 42 years, and is scheduled to replace them with the Columbia-class SSBNs beginning in 2027.
The GAO issued a <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106292" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> in January on the Columbia-class SSNBs with six recommendations on conducting a schedule risk analysis. None of these recommendations have been met.
The air leg, bomber planes, currently consists of the B-52 and B-2 bombers, the former in operation since the 1950s and the latter in operation since the 1990s. The B-52 bombers are anticipated to last through the 2050s with modifications — though the GAO stressed greater urgency in accomplishing modernization — while the B-2 bombers are scheduled to be replaced by the B-21 bombers sometime within the next few years.

Missiles

Biden Defense Department’s Nuclear Weapons Management Presents Major Risk, Per Gov Accountability Office

Biden Defense Department’s Nuclear Weapons Management Presents Major Risk, Per Government Accountability Office

Biden Administration

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