In recent weeks, Iran has dramatically escalated efforts to blockade near-bomb-grade uranium caches, intentionally collapsing tunnels and planting explosive mines at entrances, five U.S. intelligence officials said.
Obtaining about half a ton of highly enriched uranium is now much more difficult, dangerous and time-consuming than it was just a month ago, when President Donald Trump publicly suggested he might order the U.S. military to seize it, the officials said.
The new Iranian stronghold adds further complications to the Trump administration’s proposed deal with Tehran to remove and destroy uranium, a move that raises questions about who will take on the dangerous task of digging up the uranium.
Iran’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s questions.
President Trump has repeatedly said securing supplies is a priority for the United States in ongoing negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked.
And officials briefing reporters on Friday said the two countries are inching closer to a deal that would require Iran to hand over enriched uranium to the United States.
However, U.S. and Iranian officials have given contradictory accounts of the interim agreement, and its exact terms remain unclear.
Read the full text here.
