Iran mines and seals underground storage facilities containing enriched uranium - media reports

Iran has significantly strengthened the security of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium by blocking access to underground storage facilities and installing booby traps at tunnel entrances.

It was reported by the American broadcaster CNN, citing five sources familiar with US intelligence.

According to the sources, in recent weeks Tehran has been deliberately destroying tunnel entrances and further fortifying facilities where approximately half a ton of material potentially suitable for nuclear weapons is believed to be stored.

The sources note that following US President Donald Trump’s public statements about the possibility of forcibly seizing uranium, access to the storage facilities has become “more difficult and dangerous.”

The new fortifications also complicate potential agreements between the US and Iran regarding the removal or destruction of nuclear materials.

According to US officials, an agreement is being discussed that would involve transferring enriched uranium to US control, followed by its destruction and removal from Iranian territory. At the same time, the final terms of the agreement remain a subject of dispute between the parties.

International experts believe that a significant portion of Iran’s uranium may be stored in damaged or collapsed underground tunnels at the nuclear complex in Isfahan, as well as at other facilities.

Former US nuclear security officials warn that even under international supervision, Iran could retain partial access to the material or dispute the completeness of its inventory.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, US President Donald Trump stated that a ceasefire agreement with Iran could be signed as early as “this weekend,” and the country’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reportedly agreed to sign it.