Tag: nuclear power

The truth behind Trump’s bombings and the huge Iran secret kept from the world that’s hoodwinked all of America

Two days before American B-2 stealth bombers dropped the biggest payload of explosives since World War II on Iran, trucks were seen lining up outside the primary target at Fordow.

Satellite images showed scores of cargo vehicles outside a tunnel entrance to Iran’s key nuclear base inside a mountain.

Donald Trump has insisted that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was destroyed in the precision strikes, an assessment backed by the CIA and Israeli intelligence.

But there was also a frantic effort to move centrifuges and highly enriched uranium before US bombers attacked, the key question for the Pentagon now is: where did it go?

One possibility, according to experts, is a secret facility buried even deeper under another mountain 90 miles south of Fordow: ‘Mount Doom.’

In Farsi, the potential new ground zero for Iran’s nuclear program is Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, otherwise known in English as ‘Pickaxe Mountain,’ located in the Zagros Mountains in central Iran on the outskirts of one of the regime’s other nuclear sites at Natanz.

‘It is plausible that Iran moved centrifuges and highly enriched uranium (HEU) to secret or hardened locations prior to the recent strikes – including possibly to facilities near Pickaxe Mountain,’ Christoph Bluth, professor of international relations and security at the University of Bradford, told the Daily Mail.

Previous intelligence had showed ‘large tunnels being bored into the mountain, with possible infrastructure for an advanced enrichment facility,’ he claimed.

‘The site may be buried 100 meters below the surface. So it is conceivable that advanced centrifuge cascades have been hidden there, but there is no specific evidence at this time to confirm where centrifuges and fissile material has been moved to.’

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The Battle over Battle Damage Assessment at Fordo

There are some questions being raised over the absolute confidence that the damage at the Fordo nuclear site in Iran was actually destroyed.  A solidly reliable source of Fake News, CNN, has now assumed the role of expert “Battle Damage Assessor”. Anyone can be a Battle Damage Assessor – it is very similar to being a “Sniper Profiler” in the 2002 Washington D.C. Sniper Episode – a conveyor belt of “Sniper Profilers” appeared out of nowhere flooding the airwaves with commentary and descriptions that proved to be wildly inaccurate.

CNN reported on their view of the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA):

“The US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it.

The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.”

CNN continued on:

“Two of the people familiar with the assessment said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed. One of the people said the centrifuges are largely “intact.” Another source said that the intelligence assessed enriched uranium was moved out of the sites prior to the US strikes.

“So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” this person added.”

Karoline Leavitt responded like a flamethrower against CNN:

“This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community. The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration.”

There are several matters that come to mind with the contrived effort of CNN to assert themselves as the self-appointed Gatekeepers of truth for BDA.

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Claims Swirl Over Extent Of Damage From Attacks On Iranian Nuclear Facilities

There are new claims saying Iran’s nuclear program was “badly damaged” in attacks by Israel and the U.S. These differ from earlier published reports that the strikes had a limited effect, highlighting the precarious nature of parsing through preliminary assessments.

Wednesday afternoon, CIA John Radcliffe said that his agency “can confirm that a body of credible intelligence indicates Iran’s Nuclear Program has been severely damaged by the recent, targeted strikes,” according to a public statement. “This includes new intelligence from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years. CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed. When possible, we will also provide updates and information to the American public, given the national importance of this matter and in every attempt to provide transparency.”

Radcliffe’s analysis follows statements from Israeli intelligence officials on Wednesday said that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities have caused “very significant” and “long-term damage,” according to Israeli media reports. Iran also confirmed its sights were “badly damaged.” Those assessments are in line with what U.S. President Donald Trump has said. At the same time, they differ significantly from U.S. media reports citing a now-confirmed preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report stating that Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. attack on Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, had limited results. Experts in the non-proliferation community are also giving their takes on the state of Iran’s nuclear program, some of which are conflicting and even Iran has chimed in.

Clearly this issue is highly politicized at this point and there are many agendas at play when it comes to propagating specific narratives surrounding it. These range from political motivations to state-sponsored disinformation. Unless there are trusted moles with actual access to these sites — or who have direct knowledge from those who do — within the Iranian government, and only if Iran has even gained access into critical areas themselves, conclusions can only be made in a preliminary fashion based on very limited information. Even intercepted intelligence can be falsified in order to throw foreign assessments off. Intelligence reports, as a practice, also range in confidence, and it’s unlikely the confidence is extremely high this soon after the attack. So maybe the B-2’s didn’t have the desired effect and maybe they destroyed huge amounts of critical nuclear infrastructure and materials. It’s still not very clear and conclusions in key intelligence products can change drastically based on new information.

Regardless, here is the state of play of the battle damage assessment situation as it sat prior to the CIA report. You can also catch up with our past reporting about the Israel-Iran conflict here.

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Where Is Iran’s Uranium? Top Secret Leaked US Intel Says Core Nuclear Components ‘Intact’

Where is Iran’s Uranium? Truce Highlights Mystery Over Stockpile… that’s Bloomberg’s latest headline over the ‘biggest mystery’ that remains in the war. There’s also the pressing question of whether Trump’s massive airstrikes from B-2 bombers actually truly destroyed the facilities and these stockpiles. 

The Iranians aren’t dumb, and likely took drastic steps to further protect, conceal, or likely move these enriched stockpiles – some 400kg according to most reports – as wave after wave of Israeli warplanes hit Iran, significantly before the US sent its bombers this past weekend. It appears core components are still intact – though Iran has long maintained it is merely for peaceful nuclear energy development. 

The NY Times is currently reporting that the US operation merely set Iran’s nuclear program back by a few months. And further:

US BOMBS DIDN’T COLLAPSE UNDERGROUND IRANIAN NUKE BUILDINGS: NYT

Big media allegations, based on US officials and an intel assessment, that the Iranians moved their enriched uranium.

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Russia Ready To Help Iran, Says Has ‘Every Right’ To Nuclear Energy Program

The Kremlin has announced Monday that Russia stands ready to help Iran in its ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States in the Middle East, based on specific requests.

Such assistance “all depends on what Iran needs,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, as quoted in TASS. “We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side.”

“Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs at this moment,” Peskov continued, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is currently in Moscow, preparing to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

“Just today, the Iranian Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they will be able to exchange views in the wake of this traumatic escalation,” Peskov stated. That’s when he made clear, “And, in fact, the Iranian side will be able to inform us about its proposals and its vision of the current situation.”

It is highly unlikely that Moscow would actually give any level of direct military assistance, but it could possibly come in the form of safety, containment, or logistical help at now damaged nuclear facilities, following American forces’ weekend bombings of three key sites.

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Trump Confirms Strikes On Iran’s Nuclear Sites: Fordow, Natanz, And Esfahan “Successfully Targeted”

Hours after U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri en route to the Indo-Pacific region, President Trump announced that U.S. forces had “successfully attacked” three nuclear sites in Iran—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

The president wrote on his Truth Social:

We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space.

A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.

Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.

There has been no confirmation from President Trump regarding what type of USAF bombers conducted the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. However, based on timing and strategic capability, it is plausible that B-2 Spirit stealth bombers—previously observed departing Whiteman Air Force Base—were involved in the operation.

At this time, operational details remain limited.

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Report: Pentagon Agency Believes US Needs To Drop A Nuke To Destroy Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Plant

The Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has told US officials that in order to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant, which is buried deep underground, the US may need to drop a nuclear weapon, The Guardian has reported.

According to the report, Pentagon officials who received the briefing were told that dropping GBU-57s, conventional 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs, would not penetrate deep enough underground and that it would only do enough damage to collapse tunnels and bury the facility under rubble.

The officials were told that in order to destroy Fordow completely, the US would likely need to first soften the ground with conventional bombs and then ultimately drop a tactical nuclear weapon from a B2 bomber.

The report said that President Trump is not considering using a nuclear weapon and that the option was not presented to him by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. According to a report from Axios, Trump is casting doubt on the idea that the GBU-57s could do enough damage to destroy the facility.

Israel wants the US to drop the bunker-busting bombs on Fordow since it lacks the capability, but so far, Trump has not given the order for US airstrikes on Iran. The president said on Thursday that he would decide within two weeks, although there are indications that attacks could begin this weekend.

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Nvidia Invests in Nuclear Energy Startup Founded by Creepy Bill Gates

Nvidia has joined a $650 million funding round for TerraPower LLC, a nuclear energy startup founded by creepy Bill Gates. The company plans to further develop its advanced reactor project in Wyoming, which could one day contribute to the insatiable power demands of AI datacenters full of Nvidia chips.

Bloomberg reports that TerraPower, a U.S.-based nuclear innovation company founded by creepy Bill Gates, has announced the successful closing of a $650 million funding round. The round saw participation from a mix of existing and new investors, most notably NVentures, the venture capital arm of technology giant Nvidia. This significant milestone for TerraPower comes as the company looks to capitalize on the growing domestic support for nuclear power to fuel AI datacenters.

Founded in 2006, TerraPower’s mission is to use advanced nuclear technology to provide affordable and abundant carbon-free energy to meet the increasing electricity needs required for economic growth while simultaneously decarbonizing industry and addressing challenges such as poverty. The company plans to use the capital raised in this round to finance the construction of its first Natrium plant, which will become the first commercial advanced nuclear power facility in the United States.

The Natrium system designed by TerraPower couples a sodium-cooled fast reactor with gigawatt-scale energy storage. This innovative design enables the plant to boost output when electricity demand peaks, allowing for seamless integration with more intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar power. TerraPower began non-nuclear construction on the Natrium demonstration project last year and anticipates receiving regulatory approval for the nuclear reactor in the coming year.

Chris Levesque, TerraPower’s President and CEO, expressed his enthusiasm for the successful funding round, stating, “TerraPower was founded on the idea that innovation in nuclear science could make positive, global impacts. This round further establishes that our technologies are the solutions that industry is looking for.”

Nvidia’s participation in the funding round is indicative of the growing interest from tech companies in nuclear energy and technology as a means to address the increasing emissions impact of their rapidly expanding data center footprints. In recent months, tech giants such as Google, Meta, and Amazon have also signed major nuclear deals, recognizing the potential of nuclear power in meeting their energy needs while minimizing their environmental impact.

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Israel Admits It Cannot Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program

Israel has asked the Trump administration over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran to eliminate its nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials. Israel has admitted that it cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear facility, and only the USA has the power to do that. Israel simply lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment site. As shown here, it is built into a mountain and deep underground.

This is a reconstructed image purporting to show a central secret Iranian nuclear facility, based in part on information acquired by Israel’s Mossad in a famed 2018 operation. The website of the intelligence firm the Intel Lab has stated that the images of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant codenamed Al Ghadir were three-dimensional reconstructions put together with an analyst with the code name @Orion__int on Twitter. The firm said they are based on the Israeli-acquired and public documents, as well as photographs and video images. “This multi-disciplinary effort is based on Civil Engineering knowledge, Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Cycle basics, Intelligence Analysis, and advanced skills in realistic modeling and rendering,” the Intel Lab said.

The Trump administration has so far distanced itself from Israel’s operation and argued that it would be illegitimate for Iran to retaliate by striking U.S. targets. The problem here is that any direct UNPROVOKED attack on Iran will bring the US into conflict with both China and Russia. Directly attacking Iran, even if the U.S. involvement is limited to bombing a single site, would pull the U.S. directly into the war, and this could lead to WWIII.

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Iran Confirms Internal Radioactive Contamination at Natanz Nuclear Site After Israeli Airstrike — Claims No Radiation Leak to Public

Israel yesterday launched a targeted airstrike against Iran’s Natanz uranium‑enrichment facility.

Iran’s own Atomic Energy Organization now confirms that radioactive contamination was found inside the site, but emphasizes there has been no radiation leak into the surrounding environment, declaring, “no public risk.”

On Friday morning, Israeli military forces attacked several locations in Iran, including residential areas in the capital, Tehran. Several explosions were heard across the country.

At the same time, images of several locations in Tehran being targeted were posted on social media. The Israeli Minister of War issued a decree declaring a special state of emergency on Friday morning.

The international news reported Thursday that numerous countries recalled their officials from many embassies in the Middle East prior to the anticipated Israeli strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Thursday night’s strike targeted and successfully hit one of Iran’s top nuclear facilities.

“Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine,” Netanyahu said. “In recent months, Iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium. And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”

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