# Israel, and the USA as of June 21, 2025, strikes dozens of targets in Iran, including nuclear program **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [June 13, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556 "2025-06-13T01:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/603 "2025-06-25T21:09:50Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > No doubt that is hard to do but that’s the main job. How they didn’t get that right I am not sure unless Iran was just really, really fast at shutting things down and moving stuff the instant the first attacks happened (I’d think it would take a fair amount of time to arrange all the transport and get all the stuff that needs saving packed up and moved). What’s the actual evidence that stuff was moved out of there? Aren’t the photographed “suspicious trucks” the trucks filling in the entrance with dirt as was mentioned above? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/604 "2025-06-25T21:13:32Z")
I dunno. I keep seeing it mentioned they managed to save a lot of their enriched fuel and maybe even centrifuges (I’d be kinda surprised at saving the centrifuges…they aren’t that small and I doubt that easy to just unplug and carry off and my understanding is there are a hellva lot of them). But maybe Iran had a contingency plan to pack up and run in just such an occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/605 "2025-06-25T21:21:04Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I’d be kinda surprised at saving the centrifuges…they aren’t that small and I doubt that easy to just unplug and carry off and my understanding is there are a hellva lot of them On TV news I heard that IDF intelligence thinks the Iranians probably do have a handful of small backup centrifuges they kept in reserve for the event that their main facility was destroyed, but nothing like what they had at the main sites. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/606 "2025-06-25T21:24:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > They would know how much enriched uranium and how many centifuges were removed and loaded on trucks before the bombing. True, they would know that, but they had a lot in that facility. I mean, the whole point of it was to put their high-value stuff in a place that couldn’t easily be attacked. I suppose that they also know what the volume of the facility was, and can estimate the degree of cave-in from that and the volume of the craters. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I dunno. I keep seeing it mentioned they managed to save a lot of their enriched fuel and maybe even centrifuges Nobody knows that but Iran, and of course they’re going to say that regardless of whether they did or not. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/607 "2025-06-25T21:37:12Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Even a uranium gun type device requires complex machining and isn’t suitable for missile delivery. Feels like a good place to point out that the Manhattan Project cost $2 billion and the B-29 development and production cost $3 billion. Sure, the major nuclear powers have had missile deployable warheads for decades. But it took the US years just to drop one bomb out of a B-29 at massive cost. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/608 "2025-06-25T21:44:23Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > What’s the actual evidence that stuff was moved out of there? Aren’t the photographed “suspicious trucks” the trucks filling in the entrance with dirt as was mentioned above? The article describes them as “cargo trucks”, not dump trucks. > [@Chronos](#): > > True, they would know that, but they had a lot in that facility. I mean, the whole point of it was to put their high-value stuff in a place that couldn’t easily be attacked The total amount of enriched uranium was 400kg, (880lbs). Easily loaded on one or two trucks. Leaving 14 trucks for centrufuges or other equipment. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/609 "2025-06-25T21:58:58Z")
Let’s see. 19.1 g/cm3, so 19,100 kg/m3, so call it 0.021 cubic meters or about 36 cubic feet. 270 gallons. Could fit it all in three of those big plastic boxes from the hardware store. Or is my math wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/610 "2025-06-25T22:27:16Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Feels like a good place to point out that the Manhattan Project cost $2 billion and the B-29 development and production cost $3 billion. Sure, the major nuclear powers have had missile deployable warheads for decades. But it took the US years just to drop one bomb out of a B-29 at massive cost. Two points: 1. The B-29 wasn’t developed for just the Manhattan Project and atomic bomb, it got a lot of use prior to that. So I’m not sure it’s fair to imply _all_ the cost of that bomber should be assigned to the atomic bomb project. 2. The Manhattan Project also involved a lot of basic research and the necessary dead-ends of such research. The result is that anyone developing an atomic bomb _now_ doesn’t have to do basic research, that’s already been done, so it will cost them less, and even in the 1940’s no one was spending billions on a delivery vehicle. There’s already things that can deliver that sort of bomb. So anyone wanting a usable nuke is going to have to spend some money, but not on the level of the Manhattan Project. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/611 "2025-06-25T22:30:16Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Let’s see. 19.1 g/cm3, so 19,100 kg/m3, so call it 0.021 cubic meters or about 36 cubic feet. 270 gallons. Could fit it all in three of those big plastic boxes from the hardware store. Or is my math wrong? Volume wise you’re not wrong, but you’d not want to put too much uranium in a box. Not because it would go boom but because you’d want to avoid a criticality accident where the radiation output spikes to lethal levels. And you’d want shielding for those smaller packages, so that will add some weight. Plastic totes won’t cut it for that purpose. But sure, you’d only need a few trucks to transport it all. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/612 "2025-06-25T22:31:05Z")
Well, sure, but my point was more that making a basic bomb is simple enough. We didn’t even bother testing the Little Boy design. Making something that can reliably go on a missile, along with a reliable missile, is a big part of what has kept the New Mexico economy going for 80 years. And same with the other point. Yes, criticality odds say don’t do that. Was just trying to get a picture of total volume. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/613 "2025-06-25T22:33:14Z")
And remember, Iran need not design and build a bomber capable of delivering an atomic bomb. I doubt they could if they wanted to and chances are it’d never survive to the target. The bigger worry is it is smuggled onto a cargo ship and sailed into Haifa and then driven to Tel Aviv. Or heck, just driven on a yacht right to Tel Aviv. No need for a “compact” bomb. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/614 "2025-06-26T01:17:51Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > the major nuclear powers have had missile deployable warheads for decades. Almost entirely plutonium implosion weapons; not uranium gun type warheads. A plutonium gun type weapon was calculated to be in excess of 33 feet long, most likely a fair amount longer. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/615 "2025-06-26T01:42:43Z")
A gun type uranium bomb is smaller and would fit better on a missile than a plutonium implosion bomb. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/616 "2025-06-26T02:30:31Z")
Uranium is very dense. 19g/cm^3, So a cube 2,75m (or about one cubic yard) is all it takes. I could easily carry that in the bed of my small pickup. You don’t need to find some big convoy. > [@asterion](#): > > et’s see. 19.1 g/cm3, so 19,100 kg/m3, so call it 0.021 cubic meters or about 36 cubic feet. I think your math is off by an order of magnitude, but your point remains valiid. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/617 "2025-06-26T02:44:54Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > I think your math is off by an order of magnitude, but your point remains valiid. No, I think the math is right. We’re talking for 400 kg of uranium, right? I’m getting 0.02 cubic meters as well. ETA: Oh, wait, you’re talking about the cubic feet part. Yeah, that’s off. Should be .75 cubic feet, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/618 "2025-06-26T12:17:50Z")
But it’s not pure uranium. Most of Iran’s enriched uranium is no more than 60% pure. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/619 "2025-06-26T12:40:50Z")
The other 40% is also uranium. Enrichment refers to isotope ratios. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/620 "2025-06-26T13:11:05Z")
Right. There’s a slight difference in density for different isotopes, but it is negligible for the purposes of this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/621 "2025-06-26T13:26:08Z")
Much of what they have is a gas, not ingots of metal. So although the mass may not be so daunting, the volume and containment vessels up the degree of difficulty for moving the stuff about. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556/622 "2025-06-26T16:29:36Z")
Some alternative assessments of the damage at Fordow: > **[Centrifuges at Fordo ‘No Longer Operational,’ U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Head Says](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/world/middleeast/centrifuges-fordo-damage-iran.html)** > > Rafael Grossi told French radio that there was “no escaping significant physical damage” after Washington dropped bunker-buster bombs on the Iranian facility. My guess? No one actually knows the full extent of the damage quite yet, and everyone speaking about it with certainty one way or the other risks ending up with plenty of egg on their face. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-the-usa-as-of-june-21-2025-strikes-dozens-of-targets-in-iran-including-nuclear-program/1019556.md?page=32)