US considering use of special forces to seize Iran's enriched uranium - Axios

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Iran, or potentially another group, could retrieve highly enriched uranium buried beneath the nuclear site in Isfahan following US strikes last year, The New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with classified assessments.

According to the report, the uranium stockpile was buried under rubble after American attacks on the facility, but intelligence officials believe it may still be reachable.

The New York Times wrote that the Iranian government can currently reach the material through a very narrow access point, though it remains unclear how quickly the uranium could be moved.

The uranium is stored in gas form and kept inside specialized canisters, the report said.

US officials said American intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the Isfahan nuclear site and maintain continuous surveillance of the area.

They said the United States has a high level of confidence it would be able to detect — and respond to — any attempt by Iran or other actors to remove the uranium from the facility.

White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said there may still be room for a diplomatic deal with what remains of Iran’s government but stressed that Washington is “not looking to settle”.

He said Iranian officials took a hard line in previous talks, insisting they had an “inalienable right to enrich” uranium.

"They bragged about having, 60% enriched fuel, enough for eleven bombs. They told me and Jared [Kushner], 'We're not gonna give you diplomatically what you couldn't take militarily'," Witkoff told reporters as he stood next to President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One.

"I think they're gonna need a change of attitude... we have a lot of negotiating leverage, maybe maximum, but we're not looking to settle. They'd like to settle. We're not looking to settle."

A residential building in the holy city of Qom was attacked by US-Israeli airstrikes early Sunday, deputy governor general of Qom province, home to the world's biggest Shia seminary, told state media.

Hours earlier, photos and videos circulating on social media showed a similar attack on a residential building in Shahr-e Rey, southern Tehran, in what seems to be another attempt at targeted killing.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it struck several fuel storage complexes in Tehran which it said were used by Iran's military forces.

The IDF said Iran's military makes "direct and frequent use of these fuel tanks to operate military infrastructure."

Through them, it said, the Islamic Republic distributes fuel to various consumers, including military entities in Iran.

Saudi Arabia has warned Iran that continued attacks on the kingdom and ​its energy sector could push Riyadh to respond in kind, Reuters reported on Saturday citing four sources familiar with the matter.

The message was conveyed before Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's televised speech in which he apologized to Arab neighbors for the Iranian attacks, saying he had instructed the country's armed forces to stop hitting regional countres.

However, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as well as the Iraqi Kurdistan were attacked shortly after Pezeshkian's speech.