Iran’s Nuclear Program Remains Active Despite Five Months of US Strikes

Five months after President Donald Trump launched a military campaign to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons development, the program remains operational despite significant damage to key enrichment sites. According to American intelligence and experts cited by The New York Times, Iran retains a substantial capability to produce nuclear bombs within a relatively short timeframe. The main obstacle to verifying Iran’s nuclear status is Tehran’s denial of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors access to its most sensitive sites, leaving the exact location and condition of its enriched uranium stockpile unclear.

As of February, the IAEA estimated Iran held about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, enough to produce nine to ten nuclear bombs with further processing. Most of this uranium is stored at the heavily targeted Isfahan complex, which suffered major damage in US and Israeli strikes in June 2025 but likely still houses the material. The Natanz enrichment facility, Iran’s largest and mostly underground, was also partially damaged, with recent attacks possibly aimed at burying uranium stockpiles. Nearby, the deeply buried Fordow site, considered Iran’s most secure enrichment plant, was hit by a dozen large bombs and may be out of commission, though satellite images show Iran has fortified access points.

IAEA Director Rafael Grossi acknowledged that some enriched uranium remains at Natanz and that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back but not destroyed. Experts like James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment estimate Iran could build a nuclear bomb within a year if left unimpeded. The Iran Nuclear Monitor warns that without international oversight, Iran could rapidly enrich its uranium stockpile to weapons-grade levels. The US "maximum pressure" campaign has failed to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, and ongoing negotiations face the critical challenge of securing full inspection access to sensitive sites. Trump indicated he is personally involved in talks that may soon yield an agreement, but the future of Iran’s nuclear program and its monitoring remain unresolved.