{"id":5783,"date":"2025-07-12T15:18:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T15:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5783"},"modified":"2025-07-12T15:18:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T15:18:47","slug":"irans-nuclear-program-destroyed-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5783","title":{"rendered":"Iran&#8217;s Nuclear Program- Destroyed Or Not?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_5783\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"5783\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 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https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e1-242x300.jpg 242w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e1-768x950.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e1.jpg 1079w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"5784\" src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/e2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/irans-nuclear-program-destroyed-or-not\/\n\">https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/irans-nuclear-program-destroyed-or-not\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scoopnews.in\/m\/newsdet.aspx?q=138706\">https:\/\/www.scoopnews.in\/m\/newsdet.aspx?q=138706<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/iran-nuclear-program-destroyed\/d\/136027\n\">https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/iran-nuclear-program-destroyed\/d\/136027<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kipnews.in\/newsdet.aspx?q=40890\">https:\/\/www.kipnews.in\/newsdet.aspx?q=40890<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Iran\u2019s Nuclear Program \u2013 Destroyed or Not?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><br>It has been almost one week since US bombers conducted &#8220;Operation Midnight Hammer&#8221; against Iran and its nuclear development sites. However, it is still not clear whether Iran\u2019s\u2019 capabilities have been damaged; if yes, then to what extent? Further, it also puzzles one with Iran\u2019s obsession with continuing a nuclear program.<br><br>US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US attack on Iran obliterated its nuclear program and prompted the ceasefire. However, a US official briefed on the Defence Intelligence Agency\u2019s initial assessment told USA TODAY the core components of Iran\u2019s nuclear program appeared to remain intact.<br>An outraged Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday (June 26) countered by calling the bombings a \u201cresounding success\u201d and accusing some media outlets of \u201ctrying to make the president look bad.\u201d<br><br>Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei maintained that the bombings \u201cfailed to achieve anything significant,\u201d forcing Israel and the US to abandon their attacks. \u201cThey could not accomplish anything,\u201d he said. \u201cThey failed to achieve their goal. They exaggerate to conceal and suppress the truth.\u201d<br><br>Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), took a middle path, saying the Iranian program suffered \u201cenormous damage.\u201d He said three primary sites \u2013 Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan \u2013 were hit hard but that other locations were not affected at all. The nuclear program can be rebuilt, he said, but he declined to put a timeline on it.<br><br>As far as Iran\u2019s response to the Israeli attacks were concerned, R Swaminathan, Governor of India to the IAEA, Vienna, in his article for the Indian Express has rightly summed it up by saying that the most striking feature of Iran\u2019s response was not what it did, but what it deliberately avoided \u2014 it did not withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and refrained from activating its regional proxies or disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. Further, the Supreme National Security Council has not yet endorsed the decision of Iran\u2019s Parliament to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).<br><br><br>Meanwhile, Times of Israel\u2019s report on the issue, based on a The Times\u2019 report assessed that Iran\u2019s ability to store enriched uranium remains intact, with most of Iran\u2019s estimated stockpile of some 400 kilogrammes (900 pounds) of nearly bomb-grade Uranium were likely moved before its facilities were bombed, according to one preliminary classified US intelligence report.<br><br>The US administration has rejected such assertions, saying the Uranium is thought to have been buried by the strikes. But, on the other hand Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Israel does not know the whereabouts of all of Iran\u2019s enriched Uranium.<br><br>Iran\u2019s ability to convert enriched uranium into solid metal form, which is necessary for assembling a nuclear warhead, was possibly destroyed, as the facility where that process occurs was in Isfahan, reported The Times.<br><br>Still, one expert told The Times that Iran may possess the capability at other secret locations, as it has converted Uranium to solid metal at other locations in the past.<br>While Israel said it severely damaged Iran\u2019s ballistic missile infrastructure during the campaign, The Times assessed it is unlikely Iran no longer has missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.<br><br><br>Iran\u2019s Obsession with Nuclear Capacity<br><br>Meanwhile, there is a bigger question that why a country with large oil reserves feels such a need to have home-grown civil nuclear energy?<br>A persuasive new account by Vali Nasr, entitled Iran\u2019s Grand Strategy, helps unlock the key to that question by placing the answer in Iran\u2019s colonial exploitation and its search for independence, reports The Guardian.<br><br>Nasr wrote, \u201cBefore the revolution itself, before the hostage crisis or US sanctions, before the Iran-Iraq war or efforts to export the revolution, as well as the sordid legacy of Iran\u2019s confrontations with the west, the future supreme religious guide and leader of Iran valued independence from foreign influence as equal to the enshrining principles of Islam in the state\u201d. Khamenei was indeed asked once what was the benefit of the revolution, and he replied \u201cnow all decisions are made in Tehran.\u201d<br>Nasr argues that while many of the lofty ideals of the revolution such as democracy and Islam have been eroded or distorted, the principle of Iranian independence has endured.<br><br>The quest for sovereignty, he argues, arose from Iran\u2019s benighted history. In the 19th century, Iran was squeezed between the British and Russian imperial powers. In the 20th century its oil resources were exploited by British oil companies. Twice its leaders \u2013 in 1941 and 1953 \u2013 were removed from office by the British and Americans.<br><br>The popular prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was removed in a CIA-engineered coup in 1953 due to his demand to control Iran\u2019s oil resources. No event in contemporary Iranian history is more scarring than Mosaddegh\u2019s toppling. For Khomeini it confirmed Iran still did not control its destiny, or its energy resources.<br><br><br>Although civil nuclear power and the right to enrich became a symbol of independence and sovereignty after the revolution, Ellie Geranmayeh from the European Council on Foreign Relations points out it was the British and the Americans, themselves who introduced nuclear power to Iran in what was named an \u201catoms for peace\u201d programme.<br><br>The shah of Iran, with US approval, embarked on a<br>plan to build 23 civil nuclear power stations, making it possible for Iran to export electricity to neighbouring countries and achieve the status of a modern state.<br><br>In an interview with the Washington Post, Henry Kissinger later admitted that as US secretary of state he raised no objections to the plants being built. \u201cI don\u2019t think the issue of proliferation came up,\u201d he said.<br>However, the shah recognised the dual use for nuclear power, and in June 1974 even told an American journalist that \u201cIran would have nuclear weapons without a doubt sooner than you think\u201d, a remark he later denied. Gradually the US became more nervous that the shah\u2019s obsession with weaponry might mean Iran\u2019s civil programme turning military.<br><br>Before the strikes, all believed Iran had developed a large stockpile, and at a sufficiently enriched level, to sustain a nuclear reaction that could be used in a bomb if it decided to. But how quickly Iran would have been able to \u201csprint to a nuclear weapon\u201d as General Michael E Kurilla, Commander of the CENTCOM put it on June 10, is also a matter of dispute, and estimates ranged from one week to one year.<br>While military confrontation has paused for now, the geopolitical stakes remain high. Iran still retains a significant portion of its long-range missile arsenal, and airstrikes alone cannot permanently dismantle a nuclear program.<br><br><br>But it also forces us to question, who gave the right to Israel, itself a nuclear power, the right to act as the big daddy and strike Iran. Perhaps Bibi needed this more for to ensure his win in the next polls and divert the global attention from Gaza.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_5783\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"5783\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/irans-nuclear-program-destroyed-or-not\/ https:\/\/www.scoopnews.in\/m\/newsdet.aspx?q=138706 https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/iran-nuclear-program-destroyed\/d\/136027 https:\/\/www.kipnews.in\/newsdet.aspx?q=40890 Iran\u2019s Nuclear Program \u2013 Destroyed or Not? It has been almost one week since US bombers conducted &#8220;Operation Midnight Hammer&#8221; against Iran and its nuclear development sites. However, it is still not clear whether Iran\u2019s\u2019 capabilities have been damaged; if yes, then to what extent? Further, it also puzzles one with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183,83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-july-2025","category-latest-articles-in-english-all"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":61,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5783"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5786,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5783\/revisions\/5786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}