Iran stores highly enriched uranium underground, IAEA says

Iran stores highly enriched uranium underground, IAEA says
A satellite image shows tunnel entrances covered with soil at Isfahan nuclear complex, in Isfahan, Iran, 10 February, 2026.
Reuters

Some of Iran's most highly enriched uranium, close to weapons grade, was stored in an underground area of its nuclear site in Isfahan, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report sent to member states on Friday (27 February).

It is the first time the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has disclosed the location of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity - close to the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material.

According to diplomats, the entrance to the tunnel complex was struck during U.S. and Israeli military attacks in June, but the facility itself appears to have remained largely undamaged.

In its report, the IAEA stressed the urgency of verification activities in Iran, noting that inspectors have never been granted access to the underground area at the Isfahan site.

Tehran has consistently denied ever seeking nuclear weapons. However, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it maintains that it has the right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

Western powers argue there is no credible civilian justification for Iran enriching uranium to such high levels. The IAEA has previously described the development as a serious concern, noting that no other country has enriched uranium to this degree without subsequently producing nuclear weapons.

This is a developing story

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