Residents in a small Kansas town are divided over a new underground nuclear plant scheduled for installation by mid 2027.
<a href="https://www.parsonsks.com/">Parsons</a>, Kansas, a 10-square-mile railroad town established in 1871, is home to 9,600 residents. The farming town is divided over the underground nuclear plant created by a company called Deep Fission. Some believe it will revitalize their sleepy town, creating jobs and the promise of a data center and manufacturers; others are concerned about the environmental impacts an underground nuclear reactor poses, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/an-underground-nuclear-reactor-is-coming-to-this-kansas-townand-dividing-locals-7cd558a3?mod=us-news_lead_story">reported</a> on Tuesday.
If the plant is built, it would become the first borehole underground commercial reactor using a common pressurized water reactor design. <a href="https://www.deepfission.com/about-us">Deep Fission</a> was founded three years ago by professor emeritus of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Richard Muller, and his daughter, Liz Muller. 
With the help of an inventor, Deep Fission designed the Gravity Reactor, a <a href="https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs">small modular reactor</a> (SMR), which is an advanced nuclear fission plant noted for its small compact size and power capacity of up to 15 megawatts of electricity per unit. The SMR lies in a mile deep borehole and is designed to use “readily available low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel,” according to <a href="https://www.deepfission.com/technology">Deep Fission</a>. 
Unlike traditional nuclear power plants, the Gravity Reactor is geologically isolated with the depth of the borehole providing the “operational pressures” and enhanced safety that should protect the public, according to the company. 
Despite these assurances, not all Parsons residents are convinced. Some residents were shocked that the Great Plains Industrial Park, a decommissioned U.S. Army ammunition plant, approved the nuclear plant without public discussion.
“I put $125,000 into my house, and now a nuclear reactor is coming to town,” Jerel Johnson, an IT professional who planned to retire in Parsons, said. “I can’t think of a worse idea.”
Marjorie Reynolds, a pediatric nurse who is concerned about environmental oversight and “potential risks to water,” created a non-profit organization called the Prairie Dog Alliance. She questions how drillers perform under oil-and-gas regulations instead of nuclear ones.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t know how the oil and gas industry rules and regulations apply specifically to an experimental nuclear project that includes a borehole,” Reynolds said, per <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2026-07-23/the-one-mile-underground-kansas-reactor-didnt-meet-a-july-4-goal-but-is-still-on-track">KCUR News</a>. “So that&#8217;s one of our great concerns.&#8221; 
“Any time you’re putting a nuclear reactor in a hole, it’s kind of scary,” Verlyn Bolinger, an insurance agent sitting on the city’s commission, said. “It’s great that it’s here. It’s kind of bad that we’re the guinea pigs.”
However, other residents are excited about the potential economic boom the nuclear reactor can bring. With elected officials finding the addition of a Taco Bell or the saving of a furniture store a financial win, Deep Fission&#8217;s project could encourage people to move to the small town.
&#8220;Rural communities cannot build their futures by rejecting new technology before it’s evaluated,” Wayne Gilmore, an optometrist and owner of the local radio station that broadcasts the high-school football games, said.
The Parsons police chief, Robert Spinks, believes this could be just what the city needs to experience growth.
&#8220;It’s a proven technology, just in a new application,&#8221; Spinks said. &#8220;And if that is a trigger which draws in other manufacturing and brings in living-wage jobs, I think that’s a win.&#8221;
Liz Muller, the CEO of Deep Fission, released a statement, asserting that “transparency and working closely with the Parsons community has always been a top priority for us.” The company also hired someone to live in the Parsons community to create a “local presence.”
The company raised roughly $150 million in the past year, and broke ground last December in Parsons, Kansas, on 100 acres in what is “a mostly overgrown industrial park dotted with old munitions bunkers just outside town,” according to the Journal.
Currently, Deep Fission has dug a test hole and is planning to drill a second hole this year, sending a prototype reactor down. Finally, the company will place a steel canister containing nuclear fuel in a third hole to heat water and generate electricity by 2027 or 2028 — remarkably fast for the industry. 
Deep Fission&#8217;s potential investment in Parsons, Kansas, comes as the Trump administration seeks a “nuclear renaissance&#8221; as electricity demands rise and AI data centers experience explosive growth. The administration hopes to quadruple America’s nuclear-power generation by 2050, per The Wall Street Journal. 

Twelve Democratic attorneys general accused the Trump administration of moving too quickly and cutting corners. They <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/2026_03_04_FINAL_DOE.CatExCommentLetter.pdf">argue</a> that the Department of Energy has adopted a &#8220;categorical exclusion&#8221; that exempts developing advanced nuclear reactors from &#8220;environmental review.&#8221;

Golfech nuclear reactors remain offline amid heatwave in France

Small Town Plays Guinea Pig For First-Of-Its-Kind Underground Nuclear Reactor

Data Centers

Kansas

Nuclear

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump made it crystal clear to Saudi Arabia on Thursday: if the kingdom wants a blockbuster <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-set-to-strike-major-nuclear-agreement-with-middle-east-power">U.S. civilian nuclear package</a>, it has to put its signature on the historic Abraham Accords.
Trump’s ultimatum came after a groundbreaking 30-year Section 123 Agreement signed between U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. The deal lays out a blueprint for American energy giants, such as Westinghouse, to go to the Middle East and export reactors, high-tech engineering, and scientific expertise to help Riyadh move away from oil so it can power its AI data center explosion.
“The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116969149016233329">Truth Social</a>.
Under the proposal, Washington and Riyadh would launch a two-year joint study evaluating a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia. American corporate giants would keep standard U.S. proprietary technology under direct American control, rather than handing over control to the Saudi government.
Security will be tight. Instead of relying solely on standard IAEA snap inspections, the deal sets up a bilateral safeguard system, putting American inspection teams side-by-side with international monitors.
For the White House, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Proponents argue that if the United States doesn&#8217;t step up to build Saudi Arabia’s nuclear backbone, Beijing or Moscow will. The deal promises to dump billions into the U.S. economy and create thousands of blue-collar energy jobs at home.
The historic Abraham Accords originally flipped the script on Middle East diplomacy during Trump’s first term. His administration brokered game-changing normalization deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The accords triggered a multi-billion-dollar boom in trade, defense sharing, and direct flights across the region.
If Trump can connect Saudi Arabia to the Abraham Accords, it would be a massive win.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-set-to-strike-major-nuclear-agreement-with-middle-east-power">Related: Trump Set To Strike Major Nuclear Agreement With Middle East Power</a>

President Trump Meets With The Crown Prince And Prime Minister Of Saudi Arabia At The White House

Trump Gives Saudi Arabia Ultimatum Before He Signs Major Nuclear Deal

Abraham Accords

Donald Trump

Middle East

Saudi Arabia

The United States and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement Wednesday, advancing Riyadh&#8217;s long-sought nuclear ambitions and setting up a congressional fight over nuclear proliferation.
The agreement establishes a framework for American companies to help develop Saudi Arabia&#8217;s civilian nuclear program, including the potential construction of a uranium enrichment facility if a joint U.S.-Saudi study determines that enriching uranium inside the kingdom is economically justified. 
The 30-year agreement is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and is intended to give American firms a central role in Saudi Arabia&#8217;s nuclear infrastructure, according to The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/trump-approves-landmark-nuclear-deal-with-saudi-arabia-in-big-win-for-kingdom-2ed77584?st=eE7ySw&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">Wall Street Journal</a>.
Under the agreement, the United States and Saudi Arabia will conduct a two-year study examining whether it is more practical for the kingdom to enrich uranium domestically rather than importing nuclear fuel. If the study concludes domestic enrichment is warranted, American companies would build the facility under what The Wall Street Journal described as a &#8220;secretive black box arrangement&#8221; designed to prevent the transfer of sensitive nuclear technology. 
If Washington objects to enrichment, Saudi Arabia would reportedly be barred from pursuing it independently or with another country for at least 10 years. 
Trump administration officials argue that placing American companies at the center of Saudi Arabia&#8217;s nuclear program will give Washington greater oversight while helping ensure the kingdom&#8217;s civilian nuclear program cannot be diverted toward developing nuclear weapons.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman are expected to sign the agreement Wednesday afternoon.
While the agreement is intended to support Saudi Arabia&#8217;s civilian nuclear energy program, the possibility of Riyadh having nuclear weapons ambitions has raised concerns, especially since de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has repeatedly said Saudi Arabia would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran develops one.
In a 2018 interview with CBS News, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/15/saudi-arabia-iran-nuclear-bomb-threat-mohammed-bin-salman#:~:text=Crown%20prince%20Mohammed%20bin%20Salman%3A%20'Saudi%20Arabia,article%20is%20more%20than%208%20years%20old.">he said,</a> &#8220;If Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.&#8221; 
He reiterated that position during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_u8ghPr3HE">2023 interview</a> with Fox News&#8217; Bret Baier, saying, &#8220;If they get one, we have to get one &#8230; for security reasons and for balancing power in the Middle East.&#8221; 
Riyadh views Iran as its primary regional rival, and the kingdom has increasingly linked its own security posture to Tehran&#8217;s nuclear program.
Still, Saudi Arabia has long sought civilian nuclear power as part of its effort to diversify its economy and free more of its oil production for export. 
The agreement is also expected to benefit American industry, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Westinghouse Electric and its AP1000 reactor technology are among the companies expected to gain. 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as a senator was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia obtaining nuclear capabilities, defended the agreement Wednesday.
&#8220;Suffice it to say, the U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,&#8221; Rubio told reporters.
The agreement is known as a &#8220;123 Agreement,&#8221; which establishes the legal framework for civilian nuclear cooperation between the United States and foreign governments. According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal.html">The New York Times</a>, the United States has 26 such agreements with 51 governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The agreement will be reviewed by Congress under the Atomic Energy Act, which allows lawmakers to block the agreement by passing a joint resolution of disapproval. However, Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override a likely presidential veto, making it unlikely the agreement would be rejected.
Still, some members of Congress including Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) have <a href="https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/no_nuclear_weapons_for_saudi_arabia_letter.pdf#:~:text=aid%20that%20the%20United%20States.%20%E2%80%9Cshould%20suspend,...%20Regrettably%2C%20it%20appears%20that%20the%20A">requested</a> clarification from the Trump administration as to how Saudi Arabia will be prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Others have criticized the agreement because it differs from the nuclear cooperation agreement the United States reached with the United Arab Emirates in 2009, which became known as the &#8220;gold standard&#8221; for nuclear nonproliferation.
Under that agreement, the UAE permanently gave up the right to enrich uranium and adopted the International Atomic Energy Agency&#8217;s Additional Protocol, subjecting its nuclear program to more rigorous inspections.
The Trump administration argues its agreement with Saudi Arabia contains different safeguards, including extensive U.S. involvement in the kingdom&#8217;s nuclear program, that will allow Washington to closely monitor its development. 
Critics, however, contend the agreement weakens longstanding U.S. nonproliferation standards by allowing for the possibility of domestic uranium enrichment, giving Saudi Arabia infrastructure that could one day support a nuclear weapons program. They also warn the agreement could encourage other countries in the region — including Turkey, Egypt, and even the UAE — to pursue enrichment programs of their own.
Rubio has previously argued that any U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia should include strict nonproliferation safeguards.
In 2018, he <a href="http://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/senators-markey-and-rubio-and-reps-sherman-and-messer-introduce">co-sponsored bipartisan</a> legislation that would have required Congress to affirmatively approve any civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh while conditioning cooperation on Saudi Arabia permanently renouncing uranium enrichment, adopting the International Atomic Energy Agency&#8217;s Additional Protocol and meeting additional human rights conditions. 
The following year, Rubio joined then-Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in <a href="https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/03-14-19%20RM%20Rubio%20Letter%20to%20GAO%20re%20123%20Agreement%20with%20KSA1.pdf">requesting</a> a Government Accountability Office review of the Trump administration&#8217;s nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia, citing concerns over transparency and nuclear proliferation.
In 2025, Wright and bin Salman Al Saud <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-energy-secretary-and-saudi-arabias-energy-minister-announce-deal-civil-nuclear">signed a</a> Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation. At the time, Wright called it a “historic day.”
“We&#8217;ve come together on a deal for civil nuclear cooperation,” he said. “Together, with bilateral safeguard agreements, we want to grow our partnership, bring American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, and keep a firm commitment to nonproliferation.” 
The agreement had also been explored during the Biden administration, though negotiations were tied to a broader effort to persuade Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Those efforts largely stalled after Hamas&#8217; October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. 
The Trump administration instead pursued the nuclear agreement independently as part of its broader effort to deepen economic and strategic ties with the kingdom. 
During his trip to the kingdom last year, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-secures-historic-investment-deal-from-saudi-arabia-on-first-day-of-middle-east-trip">announced</a> what the White House described as the largest defense sales agreement in history — a nearly $142 billion package providing Saudi Arabia with air and missile defense systems, maritime and coastal security capabilities, border security modernization and communications upgrades from more than a dozen American defense companies. 
The White House said the agreement forms part of Saudi Arabia&#8217;s broader $600 billion investment commitment in the United States and &#8220;represents a significant investment in Saudi Arabia&#8217;s defense and regional security, built on American systems and training.&#8221;

US-IRAQ-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP

Trump Set To Strike Major Nuclear Agreement With Middle East Power

Iran

Marco Rubio

Saudia Arabia

Buried deep beneath a mountain in central Iran is a nuclear-related facility so heavily fortified that some experts believe it may be beyond the reach of U.S. airstrikes — and President Donald Trump wants Tehran to know he&#8217;s watching it.
&#8220;We have eyes on it and Pickaxe Mountain is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door,&#8221; Trump said Monday in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump added. “There is not a damn thing they can do about it.”
The mountain complex has become one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Iran&#8217;s nuclear program since U.S. forces struck Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer last year.
While those facilities suffered extensive damage, Pickaxe Mountain was left untouched.
Analysts believe the site was spared because it was not yet operational and its extraordinary depth would have made it one of the most difficult targets in Iran for conventional airstrikes.
Yet recent satellite imagery suggests construction has continued, raising concerns that Tehran may be turning the mountain complex into a hardened fallback location for its nuclear program that has been under heavy assault for more than a year.
&#8220;I think this is like their Alamo,&#8221; Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;You retreat to this place and the goal would be to hunker down,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;The Iranians now find themselves where they understand that there&#8217;s not a lot they can do in the places that have been destroyed. They have this fallback embedded deep underground. They understand that it will be exceedingly difficult for the United States to neutralize this facility.&#8221;
Located in Iran&#8217;s Isfahan province, roughly one mile south of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and about 200 miles south of Tehran, the site is formally known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La — or &#8220;Pickaxe Mountain.&#8221;
After construction began in 2020, Iranian officials claimed the facility was intended to replace a centrifuge manufacturing plant at Natanz that was destroyed in a suspected Israeli sabotage operation.
But the site&#8217;s secrecy, scale, and extraordinary fortification have raised concerns among Western governments and nuclear experts, particularly because the International Atomic Energy Agency has never inspected the facility. The lack of international oversight has fueled speculation that Iran could eventually use the complex to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels or store sensitive nuclear material away from outside scrutiny.
According to reporting by The New York Times, some experts fear Iran may already have moved portions of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium — roughly 970 pounds before the 2025 strikes — into the facility.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the facility&#8217;s chambers are buried substantially deeper than those at Fordow, the mountain-enclosed enrichment facility struck by American B-2 bombers in June 2025. The organization estimates that the tunnel complex lies at least 100 meters beneath the mountain and may contain multiple underground levels accessed through two pairs of tunnel entrances.
Satellite imagery reviewed by the institute shows Iran has spent years fortifying the site.
In 2025, Tehran began constructing a double security perimeter around the mountain, consisting of fencing, walls, and patrol routes. Tunnel entrances have been hardened with layers of concrete and earth, according to the institute.
Some experts believe Trump was referring to Pickaxe Mountain when he warned during an April 1, 2026, primetime address that Iran was attempting to rebuild its nuclear program at a &#8220;totally different location&#8221; following Operation Midnight Hammer.
“In June, I ordered a strike on Iran’s key nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer,” Trump said. “The regime then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
&#8220;It&#8217;s long been understood to be an area that would be well out of reach if it becomes fully operational,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;Out of reach of the U.S. military — or any other military for that matter.&#8221;
The facility&#8217;s unusual fortification has also sparked debate among military planners about whether conventional airstrikes could ever fully eliminate it.
&#8220;The U.S. and Israel reportedly didn&#8217;t bomb Pickaxe Mountain before because of its depth and due to an assessment that it wasn&#8217;t really operational,&#8221; Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;But Pickaxe Mountain can be used as a site where the Iranians breakout should they decide to develop a nuclear weapon. This necessitates that Pickaxe Mountain be neutralized.&#8221;
Brodsky added that because of the facility&#8217;s depth, &#8220;it may require a ground component to destroy the complex.&#8221;
Some officials and analysts have privately discussed options ranging from special operations raids to other unconventional methods because traditional bunker-buster bombs may not be sufficient, according to the New York Times. Other analysts have proposed rendering the facility unusable by sealing tunnel entrances or using chemical agents to contaminate access routes rather than attempting to destroy the mountain itself.
Schanzer said the facility presents the Trump administration with difficult choices.
&#8220;There are still options for neutralizing this facility,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Ground forces. Tactical nukes. But these are things that the administration, at least until now, has been very nervous about initiating.&#8221;
He added that such options would carry enormous military and geopolitical risks, including concerns about setting precedents that adversaries such as Russia could later invoke in other conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.
The renewed focus on Pickaxe Mountain comes after FDD argued that ongoing construction at the site may have breached the now-defunct Memorandum of Understanding, under which Iran agreed to maintain the status quo of its nuclear program.
&#8220;The regime appears intent to continue its nuclear activity,&#8221; Schanzer said. &#8220;Despite all of the measures that the U.S. military has taken against the regime, they&#8217;re defiant.&#8221;
While little activity has reportedly been observed at Fordow, Natanz, or Isfahan since the American strikes, satellite imagery reviewed by the Institute for Science and International Security showed vehicle activity near the tunnel entrances in late June, suggesting the facility remains under construction and that fortification efforts are continuing.
For U.S. and Israeli officials seeking to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, the fact that Pickaxe Mountain remains unfinished offers only limited reassurance. Once operational, the deeply buried complex could become the regime&#8217;s most secure nuclear asset — and perhaps its hardest to eliminate.

Western Tunnel Construction and Spoil Pile at Pickaxe Mountain – November 14, 2025

What Is Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain — And Why Is Trump Talking About It?

Global Politics

Politics

A Pentagon employee has been suspended after being secretly recorded divulging sensitive national security information to an undercover reporter during what he believed were casual dates — a breach that has triggered an internal investigation and raised serious concerns about operational discipline inside the U.S. military.
Andrew Hugg, identified in reports as a Chief of Chemical and Nuclear Surety, was filmed in a public restaurant speaking at length about nuclear launch procedures, chemical weapons research, and current U.S. posture toward Iran. The footage, released by O&#8217;Keefe Media Group, shows Hugg offering unusually detailed explanations of protocols that are typically tightly guarded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
BREAKING NEWS: Top U.S. Nuclear Chief Caught LEAKING Sensitive National Security Information to Stranger, Reveals Army Chemist Was Exposed to U.S. Chemical Nerve Agent, Confirms U.S. Strike Killed Children in Iran, Discloses U.S. Plans to ‘Kill Iran’s New Supreme Leader’
“If he… <a href="https://t.co/owL1YGUnms">pic.twitter.com/owL1YGUnms</a>
— James O&#8217;Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2046642621632872461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
At one point, Hugg described the immediacy and rigidity of nuclear command procedures, using a hypothetical scenario to illustrate the system’s design. “We’re literally trained — this is serious — we are always trained, if a Girl Scout gives you a message, a launch message … if it passes all the checks, go,” he said. The comment, while likely intended to emphasize redundancy and responsiveness, being revealed so flippantly could have been disastrous. 
He also discussed U.S. chemical weapons capabilities, claiming that nerve agents such as Sarin are being researched at a facility in Aberdeen, Maryland. “So, nerve agent is a chemical weapon … it kills that enzyme. Your lungs won’t work. Your heart won’t work. Nothing will work. But we have it here. It’s here in Maryland,” Hugg said. He went further, alleging lax safety enforcement at the site, recounting an incident in which a researcher allegedly ignored protective protocols. “She just wore crocs and her own clothes … it soaked through her skin … people would touch a door and then people would die,” he said, describing a scenario that, if accurate, would represent a catastrophic breakdown in containment procedures.
Beyond technical disclosures, Hugg offered blunt commentary on current geopolitical tensions, particularly regarding Iran. When asked about the possibility of continued U.S. strikes on Iranian leadership, he suggested that future targets were under consideration. “If he doesn’t change his ways then yeah, they’re gonna kill him,” Hugg said, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of and successor to the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At the same time, he attempted to temper the implication of escalation, stating, “We’re not moving nukes. We’re not going to nuke anybody … we’re not thinking about nuking anybody right now.”
The recordings also captured Hugg making sweeping claims about corruption tied to U.S. foreign aid, particularly in Ukraine. “They stole our money … they bought houses, cars … they don’t care about the people,” he said, alleging that funds sent during the Obama administration were misappropriated. He claimed he attempted to report the issue but was told, “We don’t care … we don’t want that in the paper because it makes Obama look bad.” Those assertions remain unverified but add another layer to the scope of his disclosures.
Perhaps most striking were Hugg’s comments regarding the circumstances under which the information was being shared. Over the course of multiple interactions, he appeared at least partially aware of the possibility that he was speaking to someone with ulterior motives, asking at one point, “You’re not spying, you’re not spying though right?” before later remarking, “The easiest way to get intelligence is just like send a pretty girl to talk to the guy.” The exchange highlights how even in the modern world human error is still the most enduring vulnerability in security culture.
The U.S. Army moved quickly after the footage became public. In a <a href="https://x.com/BreannaMorello/status/2046670828561993989">statement</a>, Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith confirmed that Hugg had been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation. Reports indicate he was escorted from his workplace and has since removed his professional online presence.
While the extent of the damage from the leak is still being assessed, the episode comes at a time of heightened global tension, with ongoing sensitive negotiations and tensions regarding Iran placing a premium on operational security.
The investigation into Hugg’s conduct is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what, if anything, it exposes about broader lapses in training, oversight, or internal safeguards. For now, the episode serves as a reminder that even highly sensitive roles are only as secure as the judgment of the people holding them.

Pentagon Building As Senators Warn Of Broken Classification System After Major Leak

WATCH: Pentagon Insider’s Secret Date Turns Into Nuclear Leak

leaks

House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) said Sunday that “something sinister” might be happening as officials probe a rash of disappearances and deaths of former top scientists who reportedly worked with classified information.
Comer said he would bring in leaders of the agencies where the scientists worked for questioning about the matter. His comments come after the White House said last week it would be probing the strange cases and President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-scientists-are-turning-up-dead-or-missing-now-the-white-house-is-stepping-in">said</a> he hoped the disappearances were &#8220;random.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ve put a notice out to the Department of War, to the FBI, to NASA, to the Department of Energy, that we want to know everything that they know about what happened with these scientists because those four agencies were predominantly the agencies that those 11 individuals were affiliated with. And we want to try to piece this together,” Comer <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/comer-warns-something-sinister-may-behind-deaths-disappearances-11-nuclear-space-linked-scientists">told</a> Fox News on Sunday.
&#8220;We know there are many countries around the world that would love to have our knowledge and nuclear capabilities. And these are the people that were at the forefront of it, and they&#8217;re either dead or missing,” he added.
A few of the strange cases include the disappearance of NASA scientist Monica Jacinto Reza, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/21/us-news/rocket-scientist-with-professional-ties-to-missing-gen-william-mccasland-disappeared-under-similar-circumstances/">went missing</a> during a hike in June 2025; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, who <a href="https://abc7.com/post/man-charged-killing-caltech-astrophysicist-carl-grillmair-llano-carjacking-own-relative-burglarizing-home/18626990/">was shot</a> on his front porch in February; Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Nuno Loureiro, who <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/nuno-loureiro-professor-director-plasma-science-and-fusion-center-dies-1216">was shot</a> and killed in his home in December 2025; and Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missing-general-scientist-deaths-tied-secret-us-work-prompt-white-house-probe">went missing</a> from his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home in March.
The investigation into the deaths and disappearances is being led by the FBI.
“These missing and killed scientists and former professional members of the Department of Energy vary [widely], and we&#8217;re working most importantly with our state and local partners who have the jurisdiction on each of these cases, whether they be a homicide or a missing person&#8217;s case, they have the evidence. What we&#8217;re going to do is collectively pull it all into one place,&#8221; FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Sunday.
Patel said that the investigation was focusing on whether there were any connections to classified information or foreign actors.
Other examples of strange circumstances involving the scientists include the disappearance of Kansas City National Security Campus government contractor Steven Garcia in Albuquerque in 2025, allegedly with a handgun, and the discovery of pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas at the bottom of a Massachusetts pond after he went missing three months ago.

Scientists

11 Scientists. Multiple Deaths. One Question No One Can Answer — Coincidence Or Something Darker?

Crime

House Oversight Committee

James Comer

kash patel

scientists

U.S.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is investigating the &#8220;troubling&#8221; deaths and disappearances of scientists and researchers who each reportedly had access to classified information at some point in their careers.
&#8220;In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
Her remarks came after Fox News&#8217; Peter Doocy pressed both Leavitt and President Donald Trump about the eerie timeline, given that at least 11 scientists have died or disappeared under strange circumstances. All of these individuals have been tied to military, nuclear, or aerospace research, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/11th-scientist-death-emerges-string-missing-dead-officials-access-us-secrets">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,&#8221; Leavitt emphasized on Friday.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy&#8217;s National Nuclear Security Administration told The Daily Wire on Friday that it is &#8220;aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter.&#8221;
Trump himself said that he had just left a meeting on the topic as he departed the White House on Thursday for Las Vegas.
“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump said. “Pretty serious stuff … hopefully a coincidence, or whatever you want to call it.”
<div id="attachment_1079913" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-scientists-are-turning-up-dead-or-missing-now-the-white-house-is-stepping-in/us-avery-closea-to-making-iran-deal-as-two-week-ceasefire-nears-end-trump-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1079913"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1079913" class="wp-image-1079913 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2271108623.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>President Donald Trump speaks to the Press before departing from the White House to Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 16, 2026, in Washington DC. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
Amy Eskridge, for example, was an Alabama researcher who died on June 11, 2022, at the age of 34 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science and worked on &#8220;antigravity&#8221; research. In a 2020 interview with YouTuber Jeremy Rys, she described receiving &#8220;harassment, threats,&#8221; and sabotage of her research. Notably, she suggested at one point that scientists who had breakthroughs in their work would &#8220;disappear&#8221; or stop working.
&#8220;If you stick your neck out in public, at least someone notices if your head gets chopped off,&#8221; Eskridge said in the interview. &#8220;If you stick your neck out in private, they will bury you. They will burn down your house while you’re sleeping in your bed, and it won’t even make the news.&#8221;
Other strange cases include NASA scientist Monica Jacinto Reza, who <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/21/us-news/rocket-scientist-with-professional-ties-to-missing-gen-william-mccasland-disappeared-under-similar-circumstances/">vanished on a hike in June 2025</a>; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, <a href="https://abc7.com/post/man-charged-killing-caltech-astrophysicist-carl-grillmair-llano-carjacking-own-relative-burglarizing-home/18626990/">who was shot on his front porch in February</a>, Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Nuno Loureiro, who <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2025/nuno-loureiro-professor-director-plasma-science-and-fusion-center-dies-1216">was shot and killed in his home in December 2025</a>, and Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/missing-general-scientist-deaths-tied-secret-us-work-prompt-white-house-probe">vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home</a> in March.
NASA researcher Michael Hicks <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/09/us-news/another-mysterious-nasa-death-as-ninth-scientist-linked-to-secret-programs-dies/">passed away in July 2023</a>, while NASA engineer Frank Maiwald <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/frank-maiwald-obituary?id=55630404">died in July 2024</a>. Two Los Alamos employees went missing and have not been found: Melissa Casias, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing in June 2025</a>, and Anthony Chavez, who <a href="https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/4-missing-persons-with-nuclear-ties-spark-concern-in-new-mexico/">went missing just before Casias</a> in May 2025.
Pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas went missing in December 2025 and <a href="https://people.com/body-found-lake-believed-belong-scientist-missing-3-months-11928819">was recently discovered</a> at the bottom of a Massachusetts pond, and Kansas City National Security Campus government contractor Steven Garcia <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/news/steven-garcia-missing-contractor-overseeing-us-nuclear-weapons-assets-disappears-list-grows-to-10/articleshow/130275011.cms?from=mdr">disappeared in Albuquerque in 2025</a>, allegedly with only a handgun.
Officials have not established that there is a connection between the deaths, but the public has grown increasingly disturbed by the frequency of the incidents. Four of the mysterious cases involve New Mexico, for example, where the Los Alamos National Laboratory is located.

US âvery closeâ to making Iran deal as two-week ceasefire nears end: Trump

Top Scientists Are Turning Up Dead Or Missing. Now The White House Is Stepping In.

Executive

Karoline Leavitt

The U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense on Sunday for the first time transported a small nuclear reactor on a cargo plane from California to Utah to demonstrate the potential to quickly deploy nuclear power for military and civilian use.
The agencies partnered with California-based Valar Atomics to fly one of the company’s Ward microreactors on a C-17 aircraft — without nuclear fuel — to Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey were on the C-17 flight with the reactor and its components, and hailed the event as a breakthrough for U.S. nuclear energy and military logistics.
“This gets us closer to deploy nuclear power when and where it is needed to give our nation’s warfighters the tools to win in battle,” Duffey said.
President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration sees small nuclear reactors as one of several ways to expand U.S. energy production. Trump last May issued four executive orders aimed at boosting domestic nuclear deployment to meet growing demand for energy for national security and competitive AI advancements.
The Energy Department in December issued two grants to help accelerate development of small modular reactors.
Proponents of microreactors also have touted them as energy sources that can be sent to far-flung and remote places, offering an alternative to diesel generators which require frequent deliveries of fuel. But skeptics have argued that the industry has not proven that small nuclear reactors can generate power for a reasonable price.
&#8220;There is no business case for microreactors, which — even if they work as designed — will produce electricity at a far higher cost than large nuclear reactors, not to mention renewables like wind or solar,&#8221; said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Energy Department plans to have three microreactors reach “criticality” — when a nuclear reaction can sustain itself — by July 4, Wright said.
The microreactor in Sunday&#8217;s event, a little larger than a minivan, can generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 5,000 homes, according to Valar CEO Isaiah Taylor. It will start operating in July at 100 kilowatts and peak at 250 kilowatts this year before ramping up to full capacity, he said.
Valar hopes to start selling power on a test basis in 2027 and become fully commercial in 2028. Although private industry funds its own development of nuclear technology, it also needs the federal government “doing some enabling actions to allow fuel fabrication here and uranium enrichment here,” he said.
Fuel for Valar&#8217;s reactor will be transported from the Nevada National Security site to the San Rafael facility, Wright told reporters.
However, even small generators result in a significant amount of radioactive waste, Lyman said. Other experts have said designers are not compelled to consider waste at inception, beyond a plan for how it will be managed.
Although disposal of nuclear waste remains an unresolved issue, the Energy Department is in talks with a few states, including Utah, to host sites that could reprocess fuel or handle permanent disposal, Wright said.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Sergio Non and Lincoln Feast.)

Microreactor

U.S. Conducts First Air Transport Of Nuclear Microreactor In Bid To Show Tech’s Viability

General

Nuclear Power

Technology

President Donald Trump said Monday that he would consider extending his Asia trip to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump said that he would “love” to meet with Kim. Trump is currently in Japan and is set to end his Asia trip with a visit to South Korea. Trump first floated the possibility of meeting with Kim before departing on Friday for a five-day trip to Asia that has focused on trade. 
“I haven’t mentioned it. I haven’t said anything, but I’d love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me. If he wants to meet, I’ll be in South Korea,” Trump said when asked if he had any plans to meet with Kim. 
If they did have a meeting, Trump suggested they would discuss sanctions. 
“Well, we have sanctions. It’s pretty big. I would say that&#8217;s about as big as you get,” Trump said. “I just had a good relationship with him. I would love to see him if he wants to, if he even gets this message. We haven&#8217;t mentioned that, but he knows I&#8217;m going over there. If he&#8217;d like to meet, I&#8217;d love to meet him.”
In September, Kim <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/27/trump-asia-trip/">reportedly</a> said that he would meet with Trump if “the U.S. drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization.”
During his first term, Trump became the first president to cross into North Korea’s demilitarized zone and meet with Kim to discuss the communist country&#8217;s nuclear program. He met with Kim on two other occasions. 
Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-accuses-china-of-plotting-against-us-as-xi-flexes-military-power-alongside-putin?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Accuses+China+Of+Plotting+Against+US+As+Xi+Flexes+Military+Power+Alongside+Putin">accused</a> North Korea of conspiring with Russia and China against the United States after Kim attended a massive Chinese military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
While in South Korea, American officials will finalize the details of a trade agreement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the overall framework of a deal with South Korea was in place and that the final details were being worked out. 
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the talks were focusing on removing non-tariff barriers to trade imposed by South Korea. South Korea is also expected to invest heavily in American shipbuilding. 
“We&#8217;re very much involved in getting the shipbuilding going again, which really we should have never lost years ago,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We were number one.&#8221;

VIETNAM-US-NKOREA-DIPLOMACY-SUMMIT

Trump: ‘I’d Love’ Another Sit-Down With North Korea’s Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un

North Korea

South Korea

trade

Cottontail rabbits with tentacles sprouting from their faces have been <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/science/frankenstein-bunnies-with-head-spikes-invade-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appearing</a> in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to local residents.
One woman said she saw a rabbit with “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”
“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” she said. “He came back a second year, and it grew.”
The <a href="https://cpw.state.co.us/species/cottontail-rabbits#:~:text=Rabbit%20Papillomas,be%20treated%20by%20a%20veterinarian." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service</a> says the “Frankenstein” rabbits are suffering from cottontail papilloma virus, also called the Shope papilloma virus, a skin virus that produces black, horn-like growths, mainly around the head.
Despite their terrifying appearance, the growths aren’t inherently harmful to the rabbits. However, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service notes that excessive growth around the eyes and mouth can prevent them from seeing and eating, leading to starvation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 WARNING: “Frankenstein” rabbits with black, spike-like growths on their heads are spreading across the US. 
Experts say it’s a viral infection and warn: Do NOT touch them. <a href="https://t.co/HOsKuvbC6s">pic.twitter.com/HOsKuvbC6s</a>
— Wienerdogwifi (@wienerdogwifi) <a href="https://twitter.com/wienerdogwifi/status/1955622822065091004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away.”
The virus is more likely to spread in the summer, when there is a proliferation of insects capable of transmitting it. It can also spread through direct contact.
The disease is specific to rabbits and does not seem to pose a threat to humans or other animals. Wildlife experts still advise people not to approach infected rabbits.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
However, it can still be contracted by domestic rabbits, which experience a more severe reaction. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service advises pet owners to visit a veterinarian if this happens.
The Shope papilloma virus is thought to have <a href="https://www.si.edu/stories/worlds-scariest-rabbit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> the “jackalope,” a mythological creature that possesses the body of a jackrabbit and the horns of an antelope.
The Frankenstein rabbits are not the only strange creatures to make headlines recently. Radioactive “hot wasps” have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/science/radioactive-wasps-nuclear-savannah-river.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered</a> near a South Carolina nuclear site. The Department of Energy says the four wasp nests do not pose a threat to humans.

Young rabbits

‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With Face Tentacles Plague Colorado

Animals

Colorado

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

News

Pete Hegseth

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

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