The uranium stockpile that US President Donald Trump wanted to acquire from Iran has been dealt with by Tehran in such a way that it has now become much more difficult to retrieve than ever before. A report claims that in recent weeks, Iran has deliberately demolished several tunnels at its Isfahan nuclear complex and laid landmines at their entrances.
………………………………………………………….
It is believed that Iran’s highly enriched uranium is kept in tunnels beneath this complex. This is the same uranium over which the US and Israel have been concerned for a long time. In the initial phase of the war, the Trump administration had even considered a ground military operation to seize this stockpile.
………………………………………………………….
However, the situation has now changed. Citing US intelligence sources, The Israel Times reported that due to the collapse of the tunnels and the laying of landmines on the paths, it has become extremely risky for any party to reach there. Interestingly, this makes it difficult for not only the US but also for Iran itself to access that uranium.
………………………………………………………….
US-Iran Deal Stuck Over Enriched Uranium
………………………………………………………….
This is the reason why this issue has now become the biggest hurdle in a potential agreement between the US and Iran. This uranium stockpile is considered important in the ongoing talks between the two countries to end the war, with the US condition being that Iran must move it out of the country.
………………………………………………………….
Nuclear experts say that if, under any agreement, Iran has to bring its entire uranium stockpile to one place for verification, it will have to prove that it has a full accounting of all the material in its possession. But with the tunnels closed, Iran could claim that it is no longer possible to access some of the uranium.
………………………………………………………….
Former US nuclear official Scott Roecker also pointed to this apprehension in The Israel Times. He says that if Iran claims that some highly enriched uranium can no longer be extracted, the international community will have no easy way to fully verify this. This could leave a lingering suspicion in the future that Iran might still have some nuclear material hidden away.
………………………………………………………….
Agreement Only If Iran Returns Uranium – US
………………………………………………………….
On the other hand, the US has made it clear that the proposed agreement will include arrangements to eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. According to US officials, the plan is to first destroy this material and then take it out of the country.
………………………………………………………….
Although Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes and that it is not building nuclear weapons, the US and Israel allege that Iran has enriched uranium very close to the level required to make weapons.
………………………………………………………….
This is why the question of the uranium buried in the Isfahan tunnels is no longer just a nuclear issue. It has become the biggest question linked to the US-Iran negotiations, the ceasefire, and the security of the entire Middle East. It remains to be seen whether Iran can actually reach that uranium again, or if this stockpile will remain a mystery for years to come.
