### Tensions Escalate as Israel Warns of Possible Uranium Recovery by Iran

**A senior Israeli official indicated that Iran may recover enriched uranium from the Isfahan facility, escalating tensions following recent US military actions. Despite US President Donald Trump’s assertions of complete destruction, intelligence reports show Iran’s nuclear capabilities are still partially intact.**

Israel has voiced concerns that Iran could potentially extract enriched uranium from the Isfahan facility, a site targeted by US military forces last month during "Operation Midnight Hammer." According to a senior Israeli official who spoke with US media, efforts to retrieve the material would likely be met with renewed Israeli air strikes, making retrieval attempts potentially risky.

This statement follows repeated claims from US President Donald Trump that US airstrikes effectively destroyed critical components of Iran's nuclear facilities. Despite this assertion, various US intelligence agencies provide a more tempered view, emphasizing that while significant damage was inflicted, key aspects of these sites remain operational.

Intelligence suggests that much of Iran’s enriched uranium could still be buried deeply within the Isfahan site, which had come under attack from submarine-launched cruise missiles. While the Israeli official expressed caution, stating that any Iranian operation to recover the material would likely be monitored, they nonetheless estimated that Iran's nuclear program has been impeded by approximately two years.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly echoed Trump’s perspective, asserting that the actions taken during Operation Midnight Hammer have significantly enhanced global security. However, contrasting statements from the CIA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reveal uncertainties about the total destruction of the facilities. CIA Director John Ratcliffe indicated that the degradation of Iran's uranium production facility limits its capacity to build nuclear weapons, yet acknowledged that some infrastructure remains intact.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi noted that while destruction was substantial, some parts of the targeted sites are still operational. He expressed skepticism about claims of complete obliteration, highlighting that “nothing has disappeared.”

In a recent interview, Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian indicated that the facilities were significantly damaged, making access difficult, but said that a full assessment of the situation was not currently feasible.

As regional tensions continue to simmer, the potential for further conflict remains, with Israel on high alert regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions.