In a recent interview, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi opened up about Iran’s stockpile of nuclear material and said that Tehran currently does not have access to it.
In an interview with CBS News, Araghchi was asked about Iran’s stockpile of 440 kg of nuclear material, which he said was declared by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Where is Iran’s nuclear material?
Asked where Iran’s nuclear material is now, Araghchi replied: “They are under the rubble.”
“Our nuclear facilities have been attacked and everything is under rubble,” he explained, referring to earlier strikes by the Donald Trump administration in June 2025, when the US bombed nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
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Araghchi, however, said there was room to acquire nuclear material, but only under strict supervision.
“There is an option to get them back, but under the agency’s supervision. If one day we decide to do it, it will be under the agency’s supervision,” he said, referring to the IAEA.
Iran’s foreign minister also clarified that Tehran has no intention of retrieving the material at this time, telling CBS News, “But we currently have no program. We have no plan to get them out of the rubble.”
What Iran offered the US in the nuclear talks
During the interview, Araghchi was also asked about the U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations that took place before Trump launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28.
Araghchi clarified that Iran was prepared to dilute its 440 kg of enriched uranium to 60% during talks with the US — “Well, that was one of the elements of the deal that we negotiated with our, you know, American partners. Let’s say to a lower percentage,” Iran’s foreign minister said.
“It was a big offer, a big concession to prove that Iran never wanted nuclear weapons and never will,” he added.
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Iranian nuclear material, now confirmed to be buried, was targeted by the Trump administration in Operation Midnight Hammer.
In June 2025, the US conducted strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan using advanced B-2 stealth bombers and bunker busting munitions.
At the time, Trump claimed that the strikes had “totally and completely wiped out” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, with Araghchi also declaring heavy and severe damage to the Fordow nuclear facility.
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The end of the Middle East conflict in sight
Araghchi’s comments come as uncertainty grows over the length of the conflict in the Middle East: despite claims on Truth Social that the US has defeated Iran in every way imaginable — “militarily, economically and in every other way” — Trump has refused to declare victory over Iran, with his administration officials suggesting the conflict could continue for at least three more weeks.
In the interview, Araghchi also indicated that Iran had no intention of backing down either, saying it would defend itself as long as necessary.
