Iran has barricaded and mined the entrances to tunnels where uranium stockpiles are stored, fearing a possible US operation to seize the material, CNN reports.
According to the channel, in recent weeks Iran has significantly strengthened measures to protect its uranium reserves. Five sources familiar with US intelligence data claim that the country's authorities have deliberately collapsed parts of the tunnels and mined the entrances with explosive devices.
"According to sources, it is now much more difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming to reach approximately half a ton of highly enriched uranium than it was a month ago, when President Donald Trump publicly admitted the possibility of ordering US military forces to seize this material.
New fortifications create additional difficulties for the deal proposed by the Trump administration with Tehran, which involves the removal and destruction of Iranian uranium. There is also the question of who exactly will carry out the dangerous task of its extraction."
As CNN notes citing sources, even for the Iranians themselves, the extraction of the material will become a difficult and dangerous task. This will require heavy machinery for excavation and demining work, associated with serious risks.
The US also believes that the current situation may give Iran the opportunity to conceal part of the information regarding the fulfillment of its future obligations.
"If negotiators demand that Iran deliver the entire uranium stockpile to a single location for inspection, Tehran may declare the impossibility of extracting part of the highly enriched uranium. In such a case, we will not have full confidence that Iran will not be able to gain access to it in the future."