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.” 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.
Trump also told his associates that he didn't want the war to go on until the US exhausted their supplies. Meanwhile, Republicans are worried that the war could worsen the political problems as the party’s approval numbers go down before statewide races.
What the operation would look like.
Multiple US military officers and experts also 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.
The US military would have to first fly into Iran amid the missile and drone attacks in the region. The combat troops would also have to secure the perimeters so that engineers can search through the debris on site and check for mines and booby traps. The material would also have to be extracted by an elite special operations team that is trained to handle radioactive material in a conflict zone.
The uranium would be contained in about 40 to 50 cylinders that look like scuba tanks, and they would be need to be put in transportation casks to protect them.
Several trucks would be needed for the task, according to Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University and a former nuclear negotiator with Iran.
A makeshift airfield would also need to be set up to bring the equipment in and to take the uranium out.
Experts say the operation could take days or weeks.
Retired Gen. Joseph Votel, the former commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, said, “This is not a quick in and out kind of deal.”