Technical disruptions hit Iran’s currency exchanges amid capital outflows

Around 400 kilograms—more than 900 pounds—of uranium enriched to 60% purity is unaccounted for.

Until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirms its location, the risk remains high, former Deputy Director General of the IAEA Olli Heinonen warned.

“One should not relax because this material as such is enough for 10 nuclear weapons if it is enriched further to 90%,” Heinonen told Eye for Iran. “So in a big picture, yes, Mr. Trump was correct, but it should have had this caveat telling that it's not yet over.”

Trump gave the green light to launch 75 precision-guided munitions—including bunker-buster bombs—and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles against Fordow and two other Iranian nuclear sites in the early hours last Sunday, Tehran time.

Satellite imagery appeared to show that the strikes had severely damaged or destroyed the Fordow plant and possibly the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed.

Trucks had reportedly been seen lining up at the Fordow facility in the days before the attack, prompting speculation Tehran may have relocated its uranium stockpiles in advance.

US and Israeli intelligence officials were aware of the movement at the time but opted not to act in order to track the trucks and await Trump’s final order to strike.

While Trump hailed the mission as a complete success—based on Israeli intelligence that said Iran’s nuclear program had been set back by “many years”—American officials said preliminary findings suggest a delay of only “a few months.”

A combative Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forcefully defended the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, calling them a “resounding success” and accusing the media of rooting for failure.

“Because you cheer against Trump so hard — in your DNA and in your blood, cheer against Trump — because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing. “You have to hope maybe they weren’t effective.”

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What can you do with enriched uranium and obliterated nuclear sites?

Heinonen explained that even with Iran’s main enrichment facilities damaged, the risk remains. A small, easily concealed facility, could turn the missing uranium into weapons-grade material within days.

“Then someone may ask, but they were just wiped away these enrichment plants, so why one has to worry, because such kind of installation, which can convert this material in a matter of days for the first weapon, needs about 1,000 centrifuges only."

"It's just a normal workshop,” he added, “not a big building. And it would be very difficult to find, because it can be concealed among others. Technical buildings in any industrial site or warehouse complex.”

Heinonen joined the IAEA in 1983 and served as Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department of Safeguards from 2005 to 2010. He was among the top officials overseeing Iran’s nuclear file during the pivotal period from 2002 to 2010.

“There is this history of concealment and I think that one has to be careful in accepting explanations,” Heinonen warned. “Iran started to work with uranium metal in early 1990s in secrecy ...to the IAEA… Never disclosed it… until we found it at a later date.”

Heinonen said even after the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan strikes, “the question is what about the rest of the weapon?” Iran would still need to machine uranium metal into a weapon-ready shape, using small, controlled batches of critical material.

“It will take all this one about one month. That’s it,” he said. “From start to have the weapon components on your hand.”

But the presence and availability of trained engineers and technicians is also a factor. “They are technicians, they are engineers, they are people who get their hands dirty with this material. Are they still available?” he asked.

“If they are available, then this scenario… in principle [is] possible.”

A race to verify

Heinonen said the IAEA must now be given full access and cooperation by Iran to verify the location and condition of the uranium. If Iran is unwilling, there’s no magic tool to find it.

“Only intelligence. There is no magic detector which you fly around and say, okay, it's there,” he said. “If Iran wants to prove that they have the material, why to hide it? If they have no intention to use it, why to [not] find it?”

The missing material is a red flag that should expand the scope of inspections and investigations.

Iran recently informed the IAEA about a new underground enrichment facility, described as “heavily secured,” but Heinonen said its nature remains unclear.

“Let's find facts first. What was the new site? Can anyone tell? Was it enrichment? Was it the storage? Was the storage of centrifuges? Was it assembling of centrifuges?” he asked.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Araghchi, posted on X Friday:
“The Parliament of Iran has voted for a halt to collaboration with the IAEA until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed.”

Araghchi’s statement signals a hardening stance in Tehran just as international inspectors are racing to verify the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium.

For Heinonen, the message is clear: transparency is now the only path to de-escalation.

“This is the truth-telling test,” he warned. “Because there's no reason to resist. If this is a civilian program, why restrict the IAEA's work?”

Until Iran proves otherwise, the world must treat the threat as far from over.

You can watch the full episode of Eye for Iran on YouTube or listen on any major podcast platform like Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and Castbox.

Decision-making regarding the truce was handled instead by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and President Masoud Pezeshkian, who moved swiftly to respond to a ceasefire proposal from US President Donald Trump.

A source familiar with the details of the deliberations told Iran International that the council intended to respond quickly to the American proposal. However, at the time, there was no opportunity to contact Khamenei. The ceasefire was therefore approved and communicated without the supreme leader’s knowledge.

In recent days, Khamenei’s communication capabilities have been severely limited due to security concerns, particularly fears of an attack on his location.

Iran International previously reported that Khamenei and close family members, including his son Mojtaba, were relocated to a secure bunker in Lavizan, northeast Tehran, soon after the conflict began.

Earlier this month, Iran International reported that Khamenei had transferred key decision-making powers to the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after the start of the attacks by Israel. The transfer of authority was viewed as a precautionary step to ensure continuity of command in the event of an escalation or direct threat to the leader’s safety.

Iran has not officially confirmed the location of the Supreme Leader or the details of the internal deliberations surrounding the ceasefire.

First message after ceasefire

Earlier in the day, Khamenei released his first public message since the ceasefire took effect on Tuesday, delivering a televised address in which he declared victory over Israel and said the United States was dealt a blow during the conflict.

“The Zionist regime, with all its noise and claims, was nearly brought to its knees,” he said. “The United States gained nothing and received a harsh slap in return.”

The setting of Thursday’s video matched earlier wartime messages, suggesting he remains in the same secure location.

Trump had previously posted on Truth Social that the US knew where Khamenei was hiding, describing him as an “easy target” and warning that American patience was “wearing thin.”

However, in remarks following the ceasefire announcement, Trump adopted a more measured tone, suggesting that “regime change takes chaos,” and adding, “we don’t want to see so much chaos, so we’ll see how it does.”

He also confirmed that the US is preparing for a new round of talks with Iran in the coming week.

Iran’s decision to enter a ceasefire with Israel was made without the direct involvement of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iran International has learned.

According to information shared with Iran International, the process was led by the Supreme National Security Council and President Masoud Pezeshkian, who jointly informed the United States of the decision.

In an exclusive report earlier this month, Iran International reported that Khamenei had transferred key decision-making powers to the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after hostilities began.

The move came amid reports that the supreme leader, along with close family members including his son Mojtaba, had been relocated to an underground bunker in Lavizan, northeast Tehran, where he remained for days without making any public appearances.

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"You can't establish democracy top down. It doesn't work," Yechiel Leiter said in a Washington DC town hall hosted by Iran International, when asked if Israel expected a regime change after its recent air strikes on Iran.

"We have created the backdrop. We've created the props on the stage, and hopefully they're enough for there to be capitalized upon and for change to be brought about," the Israeli ambassador told the town hall moderator Fardad Farahzad.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier told Iran International that the Israeli military campaign against Iran was giving its people a chance to topple the Islamic Republic, adding that the ruling system's days were numbered.

"A light has been lit—carry it to freedom,” Netanyahu said on June 16. “This is the time. Your hour of freedom is near—it’s happening now.”

Leiter said on Tuesday that Netanyahu spoke "with a tremendous passion and hope that the world will change and that the Iranian regime will change."

"That's a wish, but that can't be a military goal," he said. "Democracy is, in of itself, an expression of the people's will. So how can you ignore the people's will by forcing it?"

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'World must join Israel'

The Israeli ambassador criticized other countries especially the Europeans for leaving the Jewish State alone in countering the Islamic Republic, saying it would be much easier for Iranian people to topple the Islamic Republic should other countries help Israel.

"Why is it that the Chancellor of Germany says 'Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us'? We're a tiny little country. Where's Germany? Where's England? England has a huge stake, huge history in your neck of the woods," Leiter said.

"They can feel an affinity for somebody who threatens an ally, like Israel. And it's not just Israel. Who created the sleeper cells in Europe? Why is there fear now in the United States, of sleeper cells? They have interfered with international waterways, with globalization, with maritime trade," he added.

Iran sent a communiqué to Trump in the days before the US air strikes on its nuclear facilities threatening to activate sleeper-cell terror inside America if it were attacked, NBC News reported on Sunday citing sources.

Eleven Iranian nationals, including a suspected former army sniper and an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, were arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend in what officials say is a broader crackdown on individuals with ties to Iran and potential national security risks.

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The Israeli ambassador addressed the German chancellor and said, "You're absolutely right. We're doing the dirty work for the world, but it's about time that you helped us. And if they did, it would be a lot easier for the people of Iran."

"You have a minority government with its boot on the necks of, of good people, of innocent people, of tens of millions of people."

Surprises every day with Trump in office

The Israeli envoy said he was not surprised by Trump’s ceasefire proposal, as Israel’s military objectives in the war with Iran had been largely achieved by Tuesday morning when the ceasefire took effect.

He said working as a diplomat in Washington DC under President Trump feels like riding a roller coaster—with no idea when the next sharp turn is coming.

"You're on a roller coaster, and the only difference between Washington during the Trump administration and a roller coaster is that with the roller coaster, you know where the twists and turns are coming," he said.

"Here in Washington at the present time, you just don't know when the roller coaster is going to go sideways and you've got to hold on."

Trump on Monday night announced the unexpected ceasefire in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel via a post on his Truth Social platform, further fueling a sense of unpredictability surrounding US policy decisions.

Among the dead were Vahid Heidarpour and Rouhollah Tavassoli, who oversaw wards 4, 7 and 8 at various times and were known for managing inmates accused in financial and political cases, sources said.

“They had a reputation for exploiting detainees linked to powerful networks,” a source familiar with the prison told Iran International.

The pair died in the prison’s administrative block, where they were present during the strike alongside the deputy health chief and several guards.

Some inmates were also injured by shattered glass and blast waves, though authorities have not confirmed any prisoner fatalities.

“I saw 16 prison employees in body bags being loaded into ambulances,” a witness inside the facility said. “They plan to move political detainees to Fashafuyeh or to Saheli prison in Qom. The death toll is high. No debris has been cleared yet. Many soldiers were also killed, and female staff are among the dead.”

Twenty buses transported Evin Prison inmates to Fashafuyeh prison on Monday, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

Detainees from Ward 209, who include recent protest arrestees, were moved out after the strike.

Prisoners from Ward 4 were relocated by bus to Fashafuyeh without their belongings, according to a second source who confirmed reports of gunfire inside the prison following the Israeli strike.

The families were being held back from the scene, which was taken over by Basij and plainclothes agents, the source added.

Damage was concentrated in the visitors’ hall, the infirmary, and the intelligence wing of the prison, where electricity is now limited to emergency supply and water has been cut off.

Call for prisoners' release

Families of political prisoners have repeatedly called for their release following the onset of Israeli airstrikes.

Reza Valizadeh, an American-Iranian journalist held at Evin, said in a message on June 16 that political prisoners had petitioned for conditional release, which is permitted under wartime laws passed in 1986.

The rules exclude so-called dangerous criminals but allow temporary release for others whose lives may be at risk during emergencies.

The Monday strikes, carried out under the direct orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, focused on “regime targets and government repression bodies,” according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Command centers of the Tharallah base, the Seyyed al-Shohada Corps, and the intelligence directorate of Iran’s police force were also struck in what Israeli officials called the most extensive operation of its kind.