Iran has placed its missile defense systems on high alert, anticipating potential Israeli and US airstrikes on nuclear sites, The Telegraph reported. The report follows a Bloomberg report citing the International Atomic Energy Agency, which found that Iran's uranium stockpile has surged in recent months.
The Telegraph cited two high-level government sources that say Tehran has been expanding missile defense coverage around nuclear and missile sites for fear of potential joint military strikes by stealth fighter jets by Israel and the US.
"They [Iranian authorities] are just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert – even in sites that no one knows about," one source told The Telegraph.
"Work to fortify nuclear sites has been ongoing for years but it has intensified over the past year, particularly since Israel launched the first attack," he added.
"Recent developments, including Donald Trump's comments and reports about potential plans from his administration to strike Iran, have further intensified activities."
Iran's nuclear sites:
Earlier, Bloomberg obtained a copy of a new IAEA report stating that Iran's uranium stockpile is nearing weapons-grade levels, with a 50% increase in enriched uranium over the past three months.
"The significantly increased production and accumulation of high enriched uranium by Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such material, is of serious concern," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi wrote in the report, adding that Iran's increased production of uranium enriched to 60% levels of purity after being censured by the IAEA in November.
Trump has unleashed the "maximum pressure" strategy on Tehran to drive its oil exports to zero and crash the Persian Gulf nation's economy. This could be the early beginnings of regime change.
Our latest reporting on Trump's maximum-pressure strategy:
And this.
There are plenty of Iran hawks in the Trump administration, but the question will be whether the non-interventionist-leaning officials, such as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, win out.
If not...
.. then traders will have to start thinking about pricing in a war-risk premium into Brent.