Defense Chief Says No Intel To Suggest Iran Moved Enriched Uranium Ahead Of US Strikes

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said that there is no intelligence report to say that Iranian agencies moved enriched uranium out of the three facilities struck by U.S. bombers.

“I’m not aware of any intelligence that I’ve reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be, moved or otherwise,” Hegseth said in a press conference as cited by Reuters, with President Donald Trump by his side.

The Defense Secretary’s statement comes at a time when there have been questions about the efficacy of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“The cars and small trucks at the site were those of concrete workers trying to cover up the top of the shafts. Nothing was taken out of (the) facility,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that it would have taken too long and it was too dangerous to be done.

The U.S. used bunker-busting munitions to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in a bid to end its ambitions of acquiring an atomic weapon. While U.S. President Donald Trump says that these sites have been “obliterated,” Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that there has been no increase in off-site radiation at the three facilities hit by the U.S.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi revealed on Thursday that Iran’s nuclear facilities, although not annihilated, had sustained “enormous” damage. This is congruous with the CIA’s assessment of the situation.

Amid these developments, President Trump revealed on Wednesday that the U.S. and Iran could meet next week for talks. While an agreement is possible, it is not necessary, according to Trump. 

Meanwhile, U.S. equities edged up on Thursday as Wall Street digested the early release of first-quarter GDP numbers.

At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, was up 0.67%, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) gained 0.77%. Stocktwits data shows retail sentiment around the S&P 500 ETF has been in the ‘extremely bearish’ territory over the past week.

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Also See: Trump Signals Possible Iran Talks Next Week, Defends Success Of Strikes Amid FBI Leak Probe