Twig on Nostr: According to reporting by The New York Times, U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran ...

According to reporting by The New York Times, U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran could potentially regain access to a large stockpile of highly enriched uranium buried beneath the country’s nuclear complex in Isfahan. The material was entombed after American strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure last year, but officials say it may still be reachable.
Multiple U.S. officials familiar with classified intelligence assessments told the newspaper that the uranium, stored in gaseous form inside specialized canisters, could be accessed through a narrow opening leading into the underground facility. It remains unclear how quickly Iran could retrieve or relocate the material if it attempted to do so.

American intelligence agencies maintain continuous surveillance over the Isfahan complex and believe they would detect any attempt to move the uranium, according to officials cited by The New York Times. The stockpile represents a critical component in any potential Iranian effort to produce a nuclear weapon.
The issue has gained urgency amid ongoing military tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran. With Iran under pressure from air strikes and internal instability, the fate of the uranium has become a central strategic question for the administration of Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump acknowledged that securing the uranium could become a future objective. “Right now we’re just decimating them, but we haven’t gone after it,” he said, adding that such an operation could be considered later but would not be undertaken immediately.

The United States reportedly decided against attempting to seize the uranium during last year’s 12-day conflict, when Iranian nuclear facilities came under heavy bombardment. Officials determined that sending ground forces at the time would have posed excessive risks.
Any attempt to secure the material would likely require the deployment of special operations forces and a continued air campaign to weaken Iranian defenses beforehand. According to officials quoted by The New York Times, a commando raid remains only one of several options under discussion, and it is not part of the current operational plan.
Some policymakers also believe that merely signaling the possibility of a ground operation could pressure Iran into negotiating over its uranium stockpile.

U.S. officials estimate that Iran currently possesses roughly 970 pounds of highly enriched uranium, most of it stored at the Isfahan facility. The material has been enriched to approximately 60 percent purity. While that level is below the roughly 90 percent enrichment typically required for nuclear weapons, experts note that reaching weapons-grade enrichment would be technically feasible if Iran’s centrifuges were operating.
The importance of the stockpile has been acknowledged by senior officials in Washington. Speaking at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby said analysts remain “highly focused” on the issue.

Before the U.S. strikes last June, Iranian engineers reportedly attempted to shield the nuclear infrastructure by pushing soil into tunnel entrances leading to underground facilities. The attacks themselves involved the use of the U.S. military’s most powerful conventional bunker-busting weapon, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, against sites at Natanz and Fordo. The Isfahan complex, however, was struck primarily with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Following the bombardment, satellite imagery began to show excavation work around the Isfahan facility. Investigations by the visual analysis team at The New York Times identified heavy machinery moving earth near several tunnel entrances. In one location north of the main complex, workers appeared to dig a pit, place an unidentified object inside under a tarp, and cover it with soil.
Additional activity was later detected along access roads and tunnel entrances, suggesting possible efforts either to clear debris or further conceal underground facilities.
Researchers from the Institute for Science and International Security have also documented increased construction and earth-moving operations in the area, raising questions about whether Iran is attempting to secure the site against future strikes or restore access to underground chambers.

For Washington, the central dilemma remains unresolved: whether to leave the uranium buried under constant surveillance or attempt a risky operation to remove it.
As The New York Times reports, the decision carries significant military and geopolitical consequences. A ground raid inside Iran could escalate the conflict dramatically, yet allowing Tehran to regain access to the uranium could alter the strategic balance in the region.