IAEA says Iran stored highly enriched uranium at underground Isfahan site
Some of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium, enriched to up to 60% purity, was stored in an underground area at its nuclear site in Isfahan, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report seen by Reuters on Friday.
It is the first time the International Atomic Energy Agency has specified where uranium enriched to that level, close to weapons grade, has been kept.
The entrance to the tunnel complex was hit in US and Israeli military strikes in June, diplomats said, but the underground facility appears to have remained largely unharmed.
Rasoul Falahati, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Gilan province in northern Iran, said on Friday that the United States fears Iran’s resilience and its cyber, drone and missile capabilities, and warned of a tougher response if it takes action.
“If the enemy makes a mistake, we will give them a lesson harsher than the 12-day war,” he said, according to state media.
Falahati added that Israel fears war more than others because it knows "it would face difficult conditions" in any conflict.
At least nine US Air Force refueling aircraft arrived overnight at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to footage and analysts tracking open-source flight data, the Times of Israel reported.
The report said there are now at least 14 US refueling tankers at the airport, as part of a broader US military buildup in the region.
It added that 11 F-22 stealth fighter jets and support aircraft landed this week at Ovda Airbase in southern Israel.
The tankers could support US fighter jets aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which is heading toward Israel’s northern coast, the report said.
A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that US threats of military action are a political bluff and that Washington has no choice but to negotiate with Iran.
Kazem Nourmofidi, Friday prayer leader of Gorgan in northern Iran, said talk of a possible attack is aimed at showing strength and pushing Iran into a weak position.
“These threats are more a show of power and a political bluff than reality,” he said, according to state media. “They have no choice but to negotiate with Iran.”
Nourmofidi said regional opposition to war, Iran’s military capabilities and control of the Strait of Hormuz make an attack unlikely.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz is in the hands of the Islamic Republic, where one-fifth of the world’s energy passes, and closing it could raise oil prices to $200 and create severe economic crises for the United States,” he said.
Nour News, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that “warmongers” feeding “misinformation” to President Donald Trump could drag the United States into a dangerous miscalculation over Iran.
In a commentary published on Friday, the outlet pointed to remarks by US Vice President JD Vance that there was “no chance” Washington would become entangled in a prolonged Middle East war, and said such statements sought to downplay the risks of military action.
It added that any limited US attack could push the region toward a wider war and said Washington faces domestic constraints.
Senior Iranian clerics on Friday framed nuclear negotiations with Washington as conditional and cautioning that war remains an option if talks fail, as the United States and Britain began drawing down personnel in the region.
Lotfollah Dezhkam, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Fars province, said indirect negotiations do not guarantee results and warned that “if negotiations do not succeed, the next option, which is war, is on our table,” according to state media. Iran speaks “from a position of power,” he added, arguing that talks only make sense if the other side understands the consequences of conflict.
Dezhkam’s remarks were echoed by other senior religious figures, suggesting a coordinated hardening of tone from the clerical establishment.
Rasoul Falahati, Khamenei’s representative in Gilan province, said the United States fears Iran’s cyber, drone and missile capabilities and warned that any action would draw a tougher response. “If the enemy makes a mistake, we will give them a lesson harsher than the 12-day war,” he said, adding that Israel understands it would face “difficult conditions” in any confrontation.
In northern Iran, Kazem Nourmofidi, Friday prayer leader of Gorgan, dismissed US military threats as political maneuvering. “These threats are more a show of power and a political bluff than reality,” he said. “They have no choice but to negotiate with Iran.” Nourmofidi pointed to Iran’s military strength and its strategic position over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that closing the waterway could send oil prices soaring and trigger global economic disruption.
Tehran’s Friday prayer leader Ahmad Khatami reinforced the red lines on the nuclear file itself, ruling out any suspension of uranium enrichment. “The Islamic Republic has never accepted suspension of enrichment and will not accept it,” he said, rejecting what remains a central US demand.
Military echoes clerical warnings
The religious rhetoric was mirrored by the armed forces. Iran’s military spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi warned that in the event of conflict, “American soldiers and their equipment will be destroyed,” cautioning that any “foolish action” could ignite wider regional escalation.
Even as the tone sharpened, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said progress in talks requires the United States to avoid “miscalculation and excessive demands,” state media reported after a call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Araghchi briefed him on the latest round of indirect negotiations in Geneva.
US and region brace for fallout
The clerical warnings coincided with precautionary moves by Washington. The US State Department authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel and their families from Israel, citing security concerns. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged embassy staff who wished to leave to do so immediately.
Hospitals across Israel began preparing contingency measures in case of war, while China advised its citizens to leave Iran while commercial routes remain open.
The simultaneous escalation in rhetoric and precautionary actions abroad showed the volatility of the moment: negotiations might continue, but Iran’s religious leadership is publicly signaling that compromise has limits – and that confrontation remains firmly within view.
