U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran and other actors could potentially retrieve a stockpile of highly enriched uranium buried beneath the nuclear facility in Isfahan during U.S. strikes last year, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing officials familiar with classified intelligence reports.
According to sources familiar with the intelligence picture, Iran could reach the uranium through a very narrow access point. The report said it remains unclear how quickly the Islamic Republic could remove the uranium if it succeeded in reaching it. The material is stored in gaseous form inside special containers.
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The site in Isfahan where more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% are buried
(Photo: New York Times)
U.S. officials told the Times that American intelligence agencies are maintaining continuous surveillance of the site in Isfahan and are highly confident in their ability to detect any attempt by the Iranian regime or other actors to move the material — and to respond accordingly.
The stockpile in question amounts to about 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched by Tehran to 60%, a level from which enrichment to 90% — the level required for nuclear weapons — can be achieved relatively quickly. The location and fate of the uranium stockpile have been a major concern for Western governments since last year’s Operation Rising Lion.
The New York Times noted that U.S. President Donald Trump was asked Saturday whether he would consider sending ground forces to ensure the uranium stockpile does not fall back into Iranian hands. Trump said the current focus is on destroying Iranian capabilities, adding that while the United States has not attempted to seize the uranium, such a move could be considered later but is not planned at this stage.
According to the report, the United States decided last year, following the 12-day war, not to attempt to recover the uranium itself after Trump concluded that such an operation would be too dangerous.
The newspaper noted that any insertion of ground forces — likely special operations commandos — would carry extremely high risks. U.S. officials said the aerial campaign against Iran would likely need to continue for several more days to further weaken Iranian defenses before a final decision is made on whether such a raid would be feasible.
Earlier, the news site Axios reported that the United States and Israel had discussed the possibility of sending special forces into Iran at a later stage of the war to secure the country’s enriched uranium stockpiles, citing four sources familiar with the discussions.