Iran threatens to move nuclear material to secret sites to thwart Israeli strike

Axios-May22nd2o25

Barak Ravid

Iran threatened on Thursday to move its nuclear material to undeclared sites to protect it from a potential Israeli military strike.

Why it matters: The threat, made in an official letter from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to the UN secretary-general and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general, signal the risk of an unprecedented escalation in the Iranian nuclear crisis.

The IAEA is currently able to access and monitor Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, which are stored in declared sites.
If that material is moved, it will be much harder to know whether Iran is building a nuclear weapon or not.

Driving the news: The threat comes after CNN and Axios reported that Israel has been making preparations to swiftly strike Iran’s nuclear sites if U.S.-Iran nuclear talks break down in the coming weeks.

One source told Axios that Israel believes its operational window for a successful strike could close soon.

What they are saying: “Under conditions wherein threats made by the Zionist fanatics persist, the Islamic Republic of Iran shall be left with no recourse but to implement special measures for the protection of its nuclear facilities and materials, the relevant particulars of which shall thereafter be communicated to the IAEA,” Araghchi wrote.

Driving the news: Araghchi and White House envoy Steve Witkoff will hold a fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, with Oman’s foreign minister mediating.

The negotiations have hit a roadblock over the fact that Iran says it will only sign a deal that allows a domestic enrichment capability, and the U.S. has said enrichment is its red line.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and the director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency David Barnea will meet Witkoff in Rome on Friday on the sidelines of the nuclear talks, two Israeli officials said.
The officials said Dermer and Barnea are traveling to Rome to coordinate positions with Witkoff and be briefed immediataely after the talks.

State of play: The Israeli intelligence community has shifted just in the past few days from believing a nuclear deal was close to thinking talks could soon break down, Israeli sources say.

Hence the urgency behind Israel’s preparations to strike fast if President Trump gives a green light.
- A U.S. official told Axios the Trump administration is concerned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might make his move even without approval from Trump.
- Trump spoke to Netanyahu on Thursday and they “agreed on the need to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons,” per the Israeli readout.
The latest: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing that Trump and Netanyahu disucssed “the potential deal with Iran that the president believes is moving along in the right direction.”
- “This could end in a very positive diplomatic solution or in a very negative situation for Iran,” she said.
The other side: Araghchi wrote in his letter that Iran “will take all necessary measures to protect and defend its citizens, interests, and facilities against any terrorist or sabotage actions.”
- “Iran strongly warns against any adventurism by the Israeli Zionist regime and will respond decisively to any threats or unlawful actions by this regime. We also believe that if any attack is carried out against the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Israeli regime, the U.S. government will be complicit and bear legal responsibility,” the Iranian foreign minister wrote.
This story was updated with comments from Leavitt.