UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has for the first time revealed that Iran stored highly enriched uranium in an underground facility at its Isfahan nuclear site, according to a report.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the uranium was enriched up to 60 per cent purity. This is just a short, technical step away from achieving 90 per cent purity required for building nuclear bombs.
IAEA guidelines says highly enriched nuclear material should be verified every month.
During the 12-day war in June 2025, the US struck the entrance to the tunnel complex in Isfahan. However, a report by Reuters has claimed that the underground facility seem to have been unaffected by the strikes.
IAEA also stated that it could not confirm whether Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful as it lost access to four declared enrichment sites. It also could not verify Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. "[We] cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran," read a confidential report by the watchdog, later accessed by news agencies.
This comes as the UK has temporarily withdrawn staff from its Tehran embassy amid tensions between Iran and the US.
The US embassy in Israel told some non-emergency staff to leave the country. According to New York Times, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised staff wishing to leave to "do so TODAY".