July 8, 2025
Iran Resumes Maximum Uranium Enrichment Despite U.S. and Israeli Strikes
By
Yassine Atoui
8 July 2025
Despite intelligence assessments suggesting that Iran would need several months to restart its uranium enrichment program following U.S. and Israeli strikes on key nuclear facilities during last month’s 12-day war, a source within Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has revealed that
official orders have been issued to the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to resume
maximum-level uranium enrichment at nuclear facilities that were not directly hit.
Heavily Damaged Facilities, but Equipment Still Operational
According to the source, several nuclear sites—especially
Fordow,
Natanz, and
Isfahan—were significantly damaged during the U.S.-led
“Midnight Hammer” operation. However, Iranian technicians recently managed to access fortified underground halls that house advanced-generation centrifuges and found that a large number of these devices remain operational. At
Natanz, approximately
2,000 first-generation centrifuges were disabled due to power outages, but they only require maintenance.
Enrichment Reaches 60% Without Crossing the Nuclear Threshold
Iran has installed newer-generation centrifuges in facilities that were not hit and has begun enriching uranium to
60% and higher purity. However, it has not crossed the
95% threshold required for producing a nuclear weapon, in adherence to a
religious decree (fatwa) issued by Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei, which prohibits the production, possession, or use of weapons of mass destruction.
Sufficient Domestic Reserves for High-Volume Enrichment
The source noted that Iran possesses
large natural reserves of raw uranium, making it self-sufficient and eliminating the need for imports. Theoretically, Iran is capable of enriching
large volumes of uranium to high levels quickly, thanks to its stockpiles and technological capabilities.
U.S.–Iran Informal Talks Collapse
The
informal negotiations between the United States and Iran have
yielded no results. Tehran now considers the preliminary agreements reached during
five rounds of discussions between U.S. envoy
Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi in Oman to be void, following the joint military strikes by the U.S. and Israel.
Iran Rejects Consortium and U.S. Inspections
Tehran has also withdrawn its prior approval for the creation of a
regional uranium enrichment consortium, whether based inside or outside Iran. It now
firmly opposes any presence of
American inspectors in future monitoring missions—two concessions that Iran had previously accepted in earlier negotiations.
Threat to Withdraw from Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The source emphasized that Iran
will not allow the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors unless it receives firm guarantees that it will not be subject to further U.S. or Israeli military strikes. Tehran has also warned European parties that it will
withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its Additional Protocol if the Europeans
trigger the snapback mechanism, which could reinstate UN sanctions on Iran.
Despite intelligence assessments suggesting that Iran would need several months to restart its uranium enrichment program following U.S. and Israeli strikes on key nuclear facilities during last month’s 12-day war, a source within Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has revealed that...
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