Iran Has Secretly Relocated Nuclear Material: U.S. Monitoring Groups

Iran has covertly moved some of its nuclear materials to undisclosed and hardened locations that are difficult to destroy, according to a joint assessment by two U.S.-based monitoring organizations—the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP).Citing a senior official from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the report—covered by Al Jazeera on Saturday (June 21)—says the relocation was prompted by the threat of Israeli airstrikes. The nuclear materials were allegedly transferred to secure sites to safeguard them from destruction.According to ISW and CTP, this move sends a strategic message to Western powers: “If the U.S. and Israel intend to destroy all of Iran’s nuclear materials, they must undertake a long, difficult, and possibly futile search.” The groups believe Iran is leveraging this tactic as a form of diplomatic pressure, aiming to push the West back toward negotiations rather than armed conflict.While Iran continues to assert that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, the U.S. and Israel claim Tehran is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons development.Tensions escalated significantly after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes targeting Iran’s military and nuclear facilities starting June 13. In response, Iran has launched ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli targets.As of now, Israeli officials report 25 fatalities and over 100 injuries due to Iranian strikes. Iranian media, on the other hand, claims that 639 people have been killed and more than 1,300 injured in Israeli attacks.