Iran has taken significant steps to secure its enriched uranium stockpile amid concerns that the United States could attempt to seize or neutralize the material, according to a report by CNN.
The report, citing five sources familiar with US intelligence assessments, said Iran has deliberately collapsed tunnel entrances and planted explosives around access points to protect its nuclear assets.
The measures have made access to nearly half a ton of highly enriched uranium far more difficult, dangerous and time-consuming than it was a month ago, the sources said.
The developments come after US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington’s priority in ongoing negotiations with Tehran is to secure control of the nuclear material.
According to the report, Iran’s actions have complicated any potential US plan to recover, destroy or remove the uranium from the country. The situation has also raised questions about who would be responsible for carrying out such a risky operation.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately comment on the report, while the White House also declined to provide an immediate response.
A senior US administration official reportedly said both sides are moving closer to an agreement that could see Iran hand over its enriched uranium to the United States.
The official claimed the material would first be neutralized on site before being transported out of the country.
However, US and Iranian officials have offered differing accounts of the proposed arrangement, and the final terms remain unclear.
The issue became more sensitive after details of an alleged draft agreement appeared in an Iranian semi-official news outlet, prompting a strong reaction from Trump on social media.
Scott Roecker, a former head of a US nuclear material removal programme, said the reported Iranian actions could make any future transfer of highly enriched uranium much more difficult.
He said that if Iran is required to gather its entire stockpile at a single verified location before transfer or dilution, Tehran would bear full responsibility for declaring all of its nuclear material.
Roecker also warned that Iran could later claim some quantities are inaccessible, creating doubts about transparency and verification.
According to him, such a scenario could leave the international community uncertain about whether Iran might regain access to the material in the future.
International assessments suggest that much of the enriched uranium stockpile remains inside a damaged underground tunnel network in central Iran, while additional material may be stored at other locations. The Isfahan Nuclear Complex is believed to be a key site in the country’s nuclear programme.
The report also said the US military was preparing an operation in mid-May to seize the nuclear material. The plan was later abandoned after officials concluded that the mission carried significant risks.
Since then, Iran has reportedly strengthened security and defensive measures around sites where the underground uranium stockpile is believed to be located.