Iran Sealed Uranium Cache and Placed Mines Amid Fears of US Operation to Seize Material: Report
Satellite images show Iran blocking tunnel entrances and adding concrete defenses as fears grow that a U.S. operation could target its enriched uranium stockpile.
- In recent weeks, Iran has dramatically escalated efforts to seal off its cache of near bomb-grade uranium, collapsing tunnels and placing explosive mines at entrances, according to five sources familiar with US intelligence.
- These fortifications complicate the potential removal of roughly half-a-ton of highly-enriched uranium, a priority in US-Iran negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Scott Roecker, former head of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Nuclear Material Removal, warned that Iran could claim material is "irretrievable" during verification. He said, "We wouldn't have full confidence that Iran couldn't retain access to it at some point in the future."
- President Donald Trump previously considered a ground operation to seize the material but paused it, later telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that "nobody's even gotten close" to the site.
- A senior administration official briefed reporters Friday that the two sides are nearing a deal requiring Iran to relinquish enriched uranium to the US, though extraction details remain unclear.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Iran booby-traps uranium sites with mines as peace deal with US takes shape: Report
Iran has fortified tunnels holding highly enriched uranium as it moves closer to a possible deal with the US. The move could complicate verification, recovery and removal of the stockpile even if an agreement is sealed.
A CNN article released on Saturday, 13 June, states that Tehran is reportedly blocking access to uranium sites two months after the latter has indicated its intention to recover the stocks.
Iran mined nuclear site to deter raid on enriched uranium: report
Iran has, in recent weeks, deliberately collapsed tunnels and mined entrances to its bombed Isfahan nuclear complex in a bid to stop the US from launching a raid to retrieve the Islamic Republic’s store of highly enriched uranium that is believed to be buried at the site, CNN reported Saturday. The report, citing five sources...
Report: Iran planted mines around uranium cache amid fears of U.S. raid
A CNN report said Iran booby-trapped tunnels holding highly enriched uranium and collapsed their entrances. Trump reportedly halted a U.S. operation to seize the material after warnings of its impact on the war and global economy
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