Story perspectives

IAEA Can't Locate 440 kg Uranium; US Mulls Raid

5/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot verify the location of 440 kg of 60 % enriched uranium, believed to be in a tunnel at Isfahan Nuclear Research Center.
U.S. officials have considered ground raids to seize the uranium.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says recent strikes have weakened Iran’s air defenses protecting nuclear sites.
Analyst David Albright says Israel’s assassinations of Iran’s nuclear scientists have increased uncertainty about Tehran’s bomb-building capacity.

History

Historical Context

On 7 June 1981 Prime Minister Menachem Begin ordered the Israeli Air Force to bomb Iraq’s 40-megawatt Osirak reactor, killing eight scientists and destroying the unfinished plant—a move that created Israel’s “Begin Doctrine” of pre-emptive strikes. The precedent resurfaces as the IAEA reports 440 kg of 60 % enriched uranium missing from Iran’s Isfahan site, prompting U.S. and Israeli officials to consider covert action.

1 of 2

Story summary

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cannot verify the location of 440 kg of 60 % enriched uranium, believed to be in a tunnel at Isfahan Nuclear Research Center.
U.S. officials have considered ground raids to seize the uranium.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says recent strikes have weakened Iran’s air defenses protecting nuclear sites.
Analyst David Albright says Israel’s assassinations of Iran’s nuclear scientists have increased uncertainty about Tehran’s bomb-building capacity.

1 / 2