The US military has submitted to President Donald Trump a plan to directly seize about 450kg of high-enriched uranium deep inside Iran.
Two well-informed sources said that this operation requires transporting excavation equipment into the area and building a temporary runway so that transport aircraft can bring radioactive material out.
The information was revealed in the context of President Donald Trump's national address from the Oval Office on the evening of April 1st on the Iranian conflict, declaring that the conflict in Iran is gradually coming to an end.
The plan for US special forces to raid and seize uranium was first reported by the Washington Post. This plan is considered one of the most logistically complex military options that US commanders have ever considered. This is a type of mission that has never been deployed before in wartime. The plan was built at Mr. Trump's request and was reported to him last week.
Iran's 60% enriched uranium stockpile of about 450kg, mainly concentrated at the underground nuclear facility in Isfahan, is the biggest unresolved challenge in the conflict.
US and Israeli officials said that if all of this uranium continues to be enriched to weapons level, it may be enough to make about 11 nuclear bombs. Preventing Iran from possessing nuclear weapons is one of the goals that Mr. Trump emphasized right from the start of the conflict.
The media noted that the problem is that no one is sure of the exact location of these materials. US and Israeli airstrikes in the early days of fighting blocked entrances to tunnels in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow, seemingly aimed at preventing the movement of uranium.
However, satellite images show that Iran later broke through this layer of ruins and more recent images show that entrances continue to be blocked with large amounts of soil and possibly concrete.
In addition, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that there is evidence that part of the uranium has been transferred to the area near Natanz, called Pickaxe Mountain. United Nations nuclear inspectors have been unable to verify the location of this uranium depot for nearly 9 months.
In a hearing before the US Congress on March 31, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked if this uranium was controlled. He replied: "Someone will have to come and take it", but did not specify which side would do it.
Experts note that the combat challenge is extremely large for this mission. Breaking through solid tunnels requires heavy excavation equipment and teams specializing in explosives. This uranium itself must then be packaged and transported out, a process that will take a lot of time in attacked conditions. In addition, this uranium is likely mixed between hundreds of bait tanks.
Former Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Joseph Votel said that this is a "mission that cannot be completed overnight", while emphasizing that this is not simply an operation of "send a few people in, take things and then retreat".
Military planners say that the most dangerous stage of such operations is usually the withdrawal stage, when the element of surprise is no longer present and the enemy's reinforcements may be approaching.
