According to a report by The Times Of Israel on March 15, 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains buried “under the rubble” following attacks on its nuclear facilities and that Tehran currently has no plans to recover it or negotiate its dilution amid the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign.
In an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Araghchi said, “Our nuclear facilities were attacked, and everything is under the rubble. Of course, you know there is the possibility to retrieve them, but under the supervision of the [International Atomic Energy Agency]. If one day we come to the conclusion to do that, it would be under the supervision of the agency. But for the time being, we have no program. We have no plan to recover them from under the rubble.”
The uranium, estimated at 440 kilograms and enriched up to 60% fissile purity — a level that can be relatively easily increased to the 90% weapons-grade threshold — is reportedly stored deep underground at the Isfahan nuclear site. Washington had demanded that Iran surrender the stockpile during nuclear negotiations, which were suspended following the bombing campaign. US President Donald Trump recently indicated he might consider deploying ground troops in the future to secure the material.
Regarding Iran’s potential willingness to relinquish the uranium, Araghchi emphasized that “everything depends on the future. If any time in the future we decide to enter into negotiation with US or other interlocutors, you know, we may decide what to put on the table. For the time being, nothing is on the table.”….See More
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