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Iran has significantly increased its efforts to isolate its uranium stockpiles by deliberately causing tunnels to collapse and placing explosive mines at the entrances, amid fears of a possible US operation aimed at seizing the material, CNN reported, citing five sources familiar with US intelligence.
The report said that accessing about half a ton of enriched uranium is now much more difficult, dangerous and time-consuming than it was a month ago, when President Donald Trump publicly hinted that the US military could act to seize it.
The additional fortifications could complicate a proposed deal between the US and Iran, which, according to Washington, would require Tehran to hand over its enriched uranium for destruction and removal from the country.
CNN reported that the international community believes that most of the stockpile is located in collapsed tunnels at the Isfahan nuclear complex, while some of the material is stored in other facilities.
Experts quoted by CNN said that Iran would now also face a dangerous and complex mission to extract uranium, which would require heavy excavation equipment and mine clearance operations.
Scott Rocker, a former senior US official on the removal of nuclear materials, said the situation could also give Iran room to claim that some of the stockpile does not need to be remediated, raising doubts about full verification.
CNN previously reported that the US military prepared plans in May for a possible ground operation in Iran to seize the material, but Trump suspended the plan after warnings that it could provoke a serious response from Iran, prolong the war, disrupt the global economy and cause significant losses for the US.
The report said that removing Iran's uranium under any deal would likely require a specialized mobile uranium facility in the U.S., organized through the National Nuclear Security Administration at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Trump has said securing the material is a priority in negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but CNN reported that even the best experts in removing nuclear materials will take considerable time to complete the task.
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