The International Atomic Energy Agency says its concern is increasing over an underground uranium-enrichment facility at Isfahan that Iran has not let inspectors visit. Iran's security chief says the country will keep its enriched material at home and warns of consequences for any new US strikes.
The IAEA said Friday it remains increasingly concerned about the underground uranium-enrichment facility at Isfahan, which Iran declared last year but has not permitted the agency to inspect.
The agency does not know where the site is or what it holds
In a confidential quarterly report to member states, the IAEA said it does not know the Isfahan Fuel Enrichment Plant's exact location, its status for safeguards purposes, or whether the site contains nuclear material.
The agency also gives an estimate of Iran's stockpile. It estimates that Iran had 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% when Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. How much of that material survived remains unclear.
Tehran rules out sending material abroad
Earlier this week, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said in televised remarks that Iran would not allow even a single particle of enriched nuclear material to leave the country. He warned of consequences if the US carries out new strikes on Iran.
Rezaei also said no negotiations are currently taking place between Tehran and Washington. He stated that any new US attacks would be met with targeting of US bases far away, including those in European countries if they were used to carry out strikes on Iran.
His explanation centered on nuclear propulsion. According to Rezaei: "We need the enriched material to design ships and submarines that work on nuclear energy," he said, adding that Tehran has informed Moscow its enriched material will remain in the country.
Russia has previously offered to remove uranium from Iran as part of a potential deal to ease US concerns, but said the decision belongs to Tehran. According to Reuters, two senior Iranian sources said in May that Iran's Supreme Leader issued a directive that the country's near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad.
Source: Investing.com
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