U.S. intel found Iran did not move nuclear material from Fordo ahead of attack, Sen. Mullin says
U.S. intelligence found that Iran did not move nuclear material from its Fordo facility before American bombers blasted that site, despite a report to the contrary, Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Monday.
"They are claiming that they moved some material," Mullin said, referring to Israel and Iran, respectively. "Our intelligence report says they didn't," the Oklahoma Republican said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"In fact, we actually believe they stored more of it in Fordo because they believe Fordo was impenetrable," said Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "They thought it was a safe place to be."
But, he added, "We have the ability to destroy things that people think were undestroyable. And so we think we did a really good job."
Read more CNBC politics coverage
"However, if we find out that we didn't, we will be working with our allies to finish the job or we will finish the job," Mullin warned.
The Fordo facility, which is located 300 feet below a mountain southwest of Tehran, was hit by American air strikes on Saturday.
President Donald Trump said the strikes targeting Fordo, as well as two other nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, had "completely obliterated" Iran's major enrichment facilities.
The New York Times, in a report Sunday, cited two unnamed Israeli officials with knowledge of the situation who said Iran appeared to have moved uranium and equipment from Fordo before the U.S. attack.
But Mullin on Monday said the U.S. had "severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, their ability to have a nuclear weapon."
"We have a really good handle on what we've destroyed," he said.
A satellite image shows the Fordo nuclear facility in Iran in this handout image dated June 14, 2025.
Maxar Technologies | Via Reuters
"We have made it very clear, President Trump has made clear for 10 years, that we will not allow Iran, the world's sponsor of terror, to have a nuclear weapon any way whatsoever," he said.
Mullin said that did not mean the U.S. would insert American troops into Iran.
"That means that we can do this through the air, and work with our allies to finish the job," he said.
"And I believe that we may have to work with Israel to continue to maybe get rid of some of their stockpiles as things come up."
Mullin's comments raise the prospect of a more sustained U.S. engagement in the conflict between Israel and Iran than Trump is publicly discussing so far.
The president did not seek authorization from Congress before undertaking the strikes over the weekend.
But pressure on the White House to more fully engage with Congress could grow this week, especially if it appears the United States is preparing for a second major U.S. military action.
Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO
Latest World News copy
- Israel-Iran war live: Trump says ceasefire is now in effectIsrael has not publicly confirmed that they have accepted Trump's ceasefire timeline.
- Conflict or ceasefire, most markets remain unfazed — here’s whyGlobal equities posted muted gains on Tuesday, as investors digested U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire timeline between Iran and Israel.
- Was it all 'just a big show?' Anxiety and frustration for Middle East residents after Iran-Israel attacksMany across the region describe the attacks of Monday night as a choreographed show — but anxiety remains.
- Can Germany afford a 5% NATO defense spending target?Germany has said it supports a higher defense spending target even though this could leave Europe's largest economy in fiscal hot water.
- Stock futures rise after Trump says Iran-Israel ceasefire is in effect: Live updatesAll three major averages rose on Monday, despite Iran's retaliatory attack on an American military base in Qatar.
- How high oil could go if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, according to Goldman Sachs and othersEnergy analysts warn that investors shouldn't be complacent about the risk to oil supplies as the conflict in the Middle East escalates.