Israeli diplomat Mil-Man: Damage done to Iran’s nuclear program, but uranium's whereabouts unknown

This opinion was shared by diplomat Arkadiy Mil-Man, senior researcher and head of the Russia study program at the National Security Research Institute, and former Israeli ambassador to Russia (2003-2006), in an interview on Espreso.

"There is no precise understanding of the damage done to Iran's military nuclear program. Without a doubt, damage has been caused. After such a number of bombings, after so many sorties by Israeli aviation, and then American bombings by B-2 strategic bombers, it’s clear that damage has been done. 

The intelligence services of Israel, the USA, and European countries will understand this damage in a few weeks or even months. First, we need information from the inside, which agents from various intelligence agencies will be gathering. Second, there are satellite images, but they don’t always show things clearly in that resolution. It’s not always possible to detect underground damage from satellites or to understand exactly what has been destroyed," Mil-Man commented.

He added that there is a lot of disinformation in the information space at the moment. For instance, The New York Times reported that the Americans bombed Iran's Fordow nuclear facility in such a way that the entrances and exits were closed, leaving the interior without electricity, which harms all centrifuges. Whether this is true or not, it is reported by some sources.

"There are also assessments stating that on other nuclear sites, the damage is not one hundred percent, only partial damage. Therefore, this situation will become clear for us in the next 2-3 months, and I think then we will definitely know how much damage was done. Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that Iran's program has been set back. But how much has it been set back — a year, two, ten — we don't know. And the most important question is where the enriched uranium is now. From open sources and leaks, we don’t understand where this enriched uranium really is. We're talking about 400 kg, and possibly up to 600 kg, as there are various reports. This enriched uranium can be used to make a so-called dirty bomb, a real dirty atomic bomb," noted the diplomat.

• On the night of June 22, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. According to him, American forces struck facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
• According to CBS News intelligence sources, the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites on June 22 only delayed Tehran's nuclear program by a few months.
• The Washington Post, citing a senior analyst from Maxar, reported that two days before the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities, satellite images showed unusual activity of cargo and other vehicles at the uranium enrichment facility in Fordow.
• However, Trump, during a press conference at the NATO summit, stated that the U.S. had destroyed Iran's nuclear program. If they continue efforts in this direction, the U.S. will completely undermine it.