WASHINGTON: Iran has significantly stepped up defenses around its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, including planting a network of mines and burying much of the material under hundreds of tons of rubble, according to new US intelligence assessments.
The stockpile, estimated at roughly 1.5 tons, is now more difficult to access than it was just a month ago, a CNN report citing US officials said Wednesday. The uranium is enriched to a level that could potentially be used to build a nuclear weapon.
Most of the material is hidden beneath the wreckage of a destroyed nuclear facility in Isfahan, where Iran has reportedly piled debris and concrete to shield the stockpile from any attempted seizure. The mines are laid in and around the site, further complicating any ground operation.
The development comes as former President Donald Trump has previously signaled he might order US military forces to invade Iran and seize the enriched uranium. According to US officials familiar with internal deliberations, a similar operation was considered in May but called off at the last minute. Trump at the time described the plan as “extremely dangerous,” though he did not rule out future action.
The intelligence community now assesses that Iran’s new protective measures are a direct response to those threats. Tehran has not publicly commented on the alleged mining or burial of the uranium.
US military planners have long warned that any attempt to extract the material would risk triggering a broader conflict, potentially involving Iranian conventional and proxy forces across the Middle East. With the uranium now buried under rubble and surrounded by explosives, that risk has grown substantially, officials said.
The White House declined to comment on current contingency plans. However, a National Security Council spokesperson reiterated that “all options remain on the table” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
