IAEA warns enriched uranium remains in tunnels while Iran refuses transparency amid growing nuclear threat.
Nearly half of Iran’s uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, dangerously close to weapons-grade level, is believed to remain stored in an underground tunnel complex in Isfahan, according to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi. The revelation highlights continued concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions even after major Israeli and American strikes on the country’s nuclear infrastructure.
Grossi stated that the tunnel complex at Isfahan appears to be the only major facility connected to Iran’s nuclear program that was not heavily damaged during the joint US and Israeli strikes carried out last June. Those operations destroyed or severely crippled several of Iran’s most important enrichment facilities.
Diplomatic sources have long indicated that the Isfahan facility has been used to store uranium enriched to sixty percent purity. The IAEA confirmed in a report issued to member states last month that such material had been kept at the site, though the report did not specify the exact quantity at the time.
According to IAEA estimates, Iran possessed approximately 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to sixty percent when Israel launched the first wave of strikes in June. By international nuclear monitoring standards, that quantity could potentially yield enough fissile material for about ten nuclear weapons if further enriched.
Grossi told reporters that IAEA inspectors last observed more than two hundred kilograms of sixty percent enriched uranium at the Isfahan site. He added that the majority of the material was believed to be stored there, though smaller quantities may have been located elsewhere before the strikes.
Monitoring efforts using satellite imagery and other intelligence sources have not detected clear signs that the uranium has been moved from the facility. According to Grossi, the prevailing assumption among observers is that the material remains inside the tunnel complex.
Iran has not informed the IAEA about the status or location of its highly enriched uranium since the attacks. The regime has also refused to allow agency inspectors to return to nuclear sites that were bombed during the operation.
Before the strikes, Iran operated three known enrichment plants, including two facilities at Natanz and one at Fordow. All three locations were either destroyed or severely damaged during the Israeli and American campaign targeting Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
Grossi also noted that some enriched uranium is believed to remain at Natanz as well. The lack of transparency from Iran has intensified international concerns regarding the true scope of the regime’s nuclear program.
In recent remarks, Grossi warned that Iran’s growing stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium and its refusal to cooperate fully with international inspectors represent serious risks. He emphasized that without Iran resolving outstanding monitoring issues and restoring full access to inspectors, the agency cannot guarantee that Tehran’s nuclear activities remain peaceful.
