Israel-Iran War Truce Highlights Mystery of Missing Uranium

Before the attacks, IAEA monitors kept meticulous track of Iran's declared uranium inventory

- Bloomberg

U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran may curb the exchange of missile fire, but the biggest mystery of the war remains unsolved: the location of Tehran's near-bomb-grade uranium.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acknowledged just five days into the conflict its inspectors had lost track of Iran's 409kg of highly-enriched uranium—enough for 10 nuclear warheads should supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opt to pursue weaponization.

The stockpile can be stored in 16 cylinders measuring 36 inches in height, according to estimates published by U.S. regulators, or about the size of a large scuba-diving tank. Each one would weigh about 25kg—light enough to be carried to a secret location on foot or in the back of a small vehicle.