The game is not over: Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile survives US strike

Shafaq News/ Iran declared on Sunday that its nuclear program remains operational and its enriched uranium stockpile intact, despite US airstrikes that targeted three of the country’s most sensitive nuclear sites overnight.
On X, Ali Shamkhani, senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, downplayed the impact of the attacks and warned that the confrontation was far from over. “Even if facilities are destroyed, the game is not over. Enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, and political will remain,” he said.
Shamkhani, who was severely injured in an Israeli strike on his home, emphasized that the initiative now rests with “the side that plays smart and avoids blind strikes,” adding that “surprises are ongoing.”
Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, game isn’t over, enriched materials,#indigenous_knowledge, #political_will remain. With #legitimate_defense right, political and operational initiative is now with the side that plays smart, avoids blind strikes. Surprises will continue!
— علی شمخانی (@alishamkhani_ir) June 22, 2025
His comments came just hours after US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces had launched Operation Midnight Hammer on Iran’s underground uranium enrichment site at Fordow, as well as the nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan.
On his Truth Social, Trump described the assault as a “very successful strike” aimed at neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program.