Fordow 'deep' dive

[Dante]

Pretty damned good article on the hows and why's of the Fordow hit. Long but very excellent article explains the logistics of relocating the Iranium to another locale and what was seen by satellite. Long article but full of well informed information.

The story begins with satellite imagery. On June 19 and 20, sixteen large dump trucks were observed at Fordow. They were not empty, nor discreet. These were trucks of a kind suited to hauling construction materials, cement, earth-moving equipment, steel sheeting. Analysts who reviewed the imagery noted bulldozers actively placing cement covers over air shafts. These shafts are the known weak points in any deeply buried complex, where pressure and airflow must meet engineering limits, but where adversaries might also insert precision-guided munitions. To harden these vulnerabilities is to reinforce the very purpose of Fordow: to endure.
Crucially, none of the observed trucks were the type required to transport nuclear material. Not one matched the profile of the secure, shielded 18-wheelers required by nuclear handling protocols. Nor did they appear to be departing the facility. Most were simply repositioned about a kilometer northwest of the core site, well outside the blast radius, but still within operational range. One truck stood near the main entrance, but again, not the kind of vehicle suited to carry fissile material. There is no visual evidence of loading, no convoy, no escort vehicles, no attempt to obscure or evade. In short, there is no movement that even faintly resembles a uranium exfiltration.

To understand the impossibility of the uranium having been removed, one must first understand what moving enriched uranium entails. Iran is believed to have had approximately 900 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent at Fordow. That quantity, in powder form, must be stabilized into uranium oxide and then sealed into thirty separate Type B(U) containers. Each container stands four feet tall, nearly two feet wide, and weighs between 1,100 and 1,760 pounds. These are not tossed in the back of a truck like crates of fruit. They require fixed cradles, meticulous spacing of at least three to four feet to avoid criticality risks, and strict handling by trained nuclear engineers and radiation safety officers. Criticality risk arises when excessive fissile material, like enriched uranium, is placed too closely together under certain configurations, such that it could support a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. Even though each container is subcritical on its own, improper spacing or environmental conditions could elevate the risk. Therefore, these containers must be spaced deliberately and isolated by materials designed to absorb or block neutrons, ensuring absolute containment and safety.
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So what explains the disinformation? Likely, it is a classic tactic: inject doubt into the aftermath. Suggest that the uranium may still be intact. Foster fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The acronym is apt: FUD. And FUD is a tool of both state propaganda and media opportunism. By seeding the idea that the strike failed to eliminate the core threat, Iran preserves psychological deterrence. It invites domestic pride, foreign caution, and diplomatic ambiguity. But propaganda is not proof. Narratives are not facts. Trucks moving cement are not trucks moving uranium.
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The simplest explanation is the correct one. The uranium remained in place. The reinforcements observed on June 19 and 20 were desperate attempts to patch weak points, to survive the coming assault. Fordow did not empty, it braced. And when the bunker-busters landed, they hit their mark.

View attachment 1130204

"Pretty damned good article on..."

not really

It's Twitter.

an idiot calling itself "amused"

Sorry, but how can anybody in their right mind take a troll like that seriously?

https://x.com/amuse

 

[Delldude]

"Pretty damned good article on..."

not really

It's Twitter.

an idiot calling itself "amused"

Sorry, but how can anybody in their right mind take a troll like that seriously?

https://x.com/amuse

Dispute the information VRENN.

 

[toobfreak]

No doubt, which still doesn't tell you if a 60-pound box is in the trunk of a car and if it contains paperwork or some uranium.

No one can answer that but time itself, ITMT, based on pictures of the impact site and other info, I speculate that Fordow may have been hit like this:

Six B-2s were flown in to attack EACH ventilation duct at Fordow in twin triangular formations.

When the first group arrived, the forward center jet dropped the center bomb straight down while the two wing men flew their MOPs in at a slight angle.

All three GBU-57s hit at the same time acting like a triple 90,000 lbs. bomb applying their force inward at a slightly wedge shape into the mountain.

This was followed by the second group of three B-2s who hit the same three holes a second time at the same location that had just been smashed by the first attack.

I think this would make a great movie.

 

[Delldude]

I think this would make a great movie.

Especially from the cascade level.

 

[Delldude]

Somebody sure as hell is interested in what's down there.

 

[toobfreak]

Somebody sure as hell is interested in what's down there.

Exactly the path one would take if the place were heavily damaged and the only way in was from the impact openings down, and not the normal entrance-ways.

 

[Delldude]

Exactly the path one would take if the place were heavily damaged and the only way in was from the impact openings down, and not the normal entrance-ways.

And something was down there you really want.

 

[Delldude]

They're probably doing the same thing at that site where they make it into metal.

 

[toobfreak]

And something was down there you really want.

I would not want to be the crew sent down those holes looking to try to assess the damage and gain access back into the facility.

Maybe there are some survivors trapped deep down inside who phoned out for help.

 

[Delldude]

I would not want to be the crew sent down those holes looking to try to assess the damage and gain access back into the facility.

Maybe there are some survivors trapped deep down inside who phoned out for help.

They'd be suited up. Nukes are more important.

 

[Dante]

Dispute the information VRENN.

an idiot on Twitter calling itself "amused"

Sorry, but how can anybody in their right mind take a troll like that seriously?

 

[Delldude]

an idiot on Twitter calling itself "amused"

Prove they're an idiot then.........

 

[Dante]

Prove they're an idiot then.........

The name itself begs the question

 

[Delldude]

The name itself begs the question

Then don't read it, your opinion means jack squat to me............

 

[Dante]

Then don't read it, your opinion means jack squat to me............

you sure posted lots of comments to me about it, but o'tay

 

[Dante]

The simplest explanation is the correct one. The uranium remained in place. The reinforcements observed on June 19 and 20 were desperate attempts to patch weak points, to survive the coming assault. Fordow did not empty, it braced. And when the bunker-busters landed, they hit their mark.

The simplest explanation is that the "amused" Twittering Nittwit is spinning shit and calling it pudding