Iran Is Sealing Its Uranium Stockpiles, CNN Reports

Iran has sharply intensified efforts in recent weeks to seal off its enriched uranium stockpile by deliberately collapsing tunnels and blasting entrances with mines, CNN reported Saturday, citing five sources familiar with U.S. intelligence. That, the report said, would make reaching the hundreds of kilograms of uranium far more difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming.

The buildup comes as a ceasefire holds and as Washington and Tehran discuss a possible deal under which the uranium would be removed and destroyed. CNN also reported the previous night that the U.S. military recently prepared an emergency ground mission to seize Iran’s uranium, but President Donald Trump stopped it. The material is believed to be spread across several nuclear sites, especially Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow, and buried deep in tunnels.

According to the reporting, the new fortifications add another layer of complexity and may help Iran keep the material. Officials and analysts cited by CNN said the current condition could allow Iran to claim it cannot reach the uranium, or that it has been destroyed, while still retaining control of a significant share of the stockpile. The international community believes most of the uranium is in collapsed tunnels at the Isfahan nuclear site in central Iran.

Satellite images from Airbus Defence and Space, analyzed by the Institute for Science and International Security, showed suspicious activity near a secret site at Mount Picaxe. On April 22, two eastern tunnel entrances were blocked with special earth meant to keep vehicles out, while they were open on April 1. The institute said it saw no similar blocking at the western entrances, though the material would still significantly hinder access and require heavy excavation equipment.

CNN also reported that since the ceasefire began, Iran has cleared at least 50 access points to 18 missile sites that had been hit, restoring access to large quantities of missiles stored underground. The report said Trump had claimed Iran’s missile arsenal was nearly destroyed, but many Israeli-American strikes during the war mainly trapped missiles and launchers underground by hitting their access routes.