Trump considers military operation to take Iran’s uranium. Here is what that means

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering conducting a military operation to extract nearly 1000 pounds of enriched uranium from Iran’s stockpile as part of efforts to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.

The officials said that Trump has not yet made a final decision, as he is considering the risk to the troops.

However, he has remained open to the idea as it could help the US achieve its goal.

The president had also encouraged his advisors to press Iran to give up the material as a condition to ending the ongoing war. He has also discussed seizing the uranium by force if Iran is unwilling to negotiate.

Washington and Tehran have not yet engaged in direct negotiations to end the war.

On Sunday night, Trump told reported that Iran must do what the US demands or  “they’re not going to have a country.” Referring to Iran’s uranium, Trump said, “They’re going to give us the nuclear dust.”

Some of the president’s allies have said that it is possible to seize the material in a targetted operation that wouldn't significantly extend the timeline of the war and still have the conflict end by mid April.

Multiple US military officers and experts, however, warn that the operation would be extremely complex and carry significant risk. They should also be able to foresee a retaliation from Iran, which could further lengthen the war beyond the 4 to 6 week time frame that the Trump team have mapped out.