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applegrove

(126,770 posts)
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 03:50 PM Jun 23

Iran hid nuclear material: approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity

BREAKING: According to the New York Times, U.S. intelligence believes Iran removed approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity from the Fordow facility prior to the strike. The current location of this nuclear material is unknown to the United States.

Krassensteins (@krassenstein.bsky.social) 2025-06-23T11:03:35.940Z
20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Iran hid nuclear material: approximately 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity (Original Post) applegrove Jun 23 OP
Now begins the wild chase for WMDs newdeal2 Jun 23 #1
Is Judith Miller back at the Times? choie Jun 23 #3
It'll be hiding in and under hospitals, schools and residential blocks. AloeVera Jun 23 #4
We've seen this movie before. G.O.P. Lies still suck. BoRaGard Jun 23 #2
Well, we told them when we were going to bomb so they could move it Johnny2X2X Jun 23 #5
This! choie Jun 23 #6
It's almost like Trump wants Iran to have nuclear capability. Irish_Dem Jun 23 #9
Needs a boogeyman Johnny2X2X Jun 23 #10
I agree. Irish_Dem Jun 23 #11
Countdown until we see someone waving around a pill bottle full of sand... Hugin Jun 23 #12
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jun 23 #7
That's one possible takeaway Prairie Gates Jun 23 #14
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jun 23 #16
Holy Jesus Prairie Gates Jun 23 #17
This message was self-deleted by its author PeaceWave Jun 23 #18
... Prairie Gates Jun 23 #19
There is a picture of 16 trucks Chuuku Davis Jun 23 #8
You'd need to have it contained Johnny2X2X Jun 23 #13
Equipment, instruments and tools needed to complete the refinement is what I was reading. Brother Buzz Jun 23 #15
At this point just package it in smaller quantities and distribute it. Igel Jun 23 #20

AloeVera

(3,242 posts)
4. It'll be hiding in and under hospitals, schools and residential blocks.
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:00 PM
Jun 23

And any number of civilian infrastructure.

Sound familiar?

I am seriously afraid for Iranian civilians.

Johnny2X2X

(23,056 posts)
5. Well, we told them when we were going to bomb so they could move it
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:01 PM
Jun 23

And if there is 400 pounds, that's enough for 8 Hiroshimas.

Also, if it is 60% enriched, that's way way beyond medical or energy use enrichment and is pretty close to the 90% needed for weapons grade. Letting them get to 60% would have never happened if Trump hadn't have killed the nuclear deal.

3-5% enriched Uranium is what's in nuclear power plants.

Anything above 20% is considered highly enriched and that's because at 20% you've done 90% of the effort needed for weapons grade enrichment. 60% is very close to weapons grade even though the number seems a ways away from 90.

That 60% number is scary if true. And what choice does Iran have now but to build a nuclear weapon? Without one they are defensless.

choie

(5,814 posts)
6. This!
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:03 PM
Jun 23

"Letting them get to 60% would have never happened if Trump hadn't have killed the nuclear deal."

And is anybody in the media mentioning this?

Johnny2X2X

(23,056 posts)
10. Needs a boogeyman
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:07 PM
Jun 23

I really don't think Trump and his cabal would think a couple nuclear bombs being detonated would be a bad thing. They probably view it as a great opportunity to take even more power and remain in power permanently.

Hugin

(36,553 posts)
12. Countdown until we see someone waving around a pill bottle full of sand...
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:11 PM
Jun 23

In 3… 2… 1…

Response to applegrove (Original post)

Prairie Gates

(5,645 posts)
14. That's one possible takeaway
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:18 PM
Jun 23

The other is that even above everything else wrong with it, the bombing mission was stupidly telegraphed by the idiot MAGA-in-Chief and ended up a spectacular and complete failure.

Response to Prairie Gates (Reply #14)

Response to Prairie Gates (Reply #17)

Chuuku Davis

(594 posts)
8. There is a picture of 16 trucks
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:05 PM
Jun 23

Supposedly taken June 19 taking something from the iranian nuke site.
Posted on a RW site and I don't know how to post it.
One truck would carry 400 kg though.

Johnny2X2X

(23,056 posts)
13. You'd need to have it contained
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:15 PM
Jun 23

Probably in lead. And probably in smaller amounts split up.

Brother Buzz

(38,941 posts)
15. Equipment, instruments and tools needed to complete the refinement is what I was reading.
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 04:22 PM
Jun 23

I forget to leave a breadcrumb tail and lost the link

Igel

(36,945 posts)
20. At this point just package it in smaller quantities and distribute it.
Mon Jun 23, 2025, 05:39 PM
Jun 23

Why worry about further refinement for now? First keep it safe and worry about next steps later.

I've read that German scientists under Hitler never actually managed to have the amount of heavy water they needed not because they didn't have it, but because they "stored" a large-ish quantity in railroad tank cars that were always in transit or just sitting in a railroad yard waiting to be moved.

The Germans were in danger of being called treasonous because they didn't want a dictatorial regime to be able to produce an atomic bomb. Nobody claimed they were doing it to keep it from being bombed (in fact, railyards and trains were a valid target, unless it was known they were carrying 'cargo' for the detention or death camps).

Many still think that either they were nowhere close to 60% HEU or that somehow that's what's needed for civilian reactors.

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