US military devises risky plan to seize Iran's uranium at Trump's request

The US military has submitted a secret plan to President Donald Trump to seize nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium from deep inside Iran, a risky operation that experts warn could trigger a nuclear disaster, The Washington Post reported.

The plan, submitted to the White House last week at Trump's request, targets nuclear material stored mainly at facilities in Isfahan that were struck by US airstrikes in June. The storage areas remain buried under rubble, presenting significant technical hurdles.

According to the plan, US forces would need to fly in heavy excavation equipment to break through concrete, lead shielding, and other reinforced structures. Special operations troops would then need to descend into shafts to retrieve containers of radioactive material. A temporary runway would have to be constructed near the site for cargo planes to airlift the material out.

Military analysts said the operation would go beyond a typical special forces raid. US forces would first need to neutralize Iran's air defenses to create a safe corridor, then deploy thousands of troops and heavy engineering equipment. The excavation and removal process could take weeks or even months, with personnel operating under constant threat of Iranian attack.

Experts also warned that moving the material could easily trigger radioactive leaks, posing severe health risks to personnel and surrounding areas.

Hundreds of US special operations forces have already arrived at bases in the Middle East, where they are expected to conduct joint missions with the Marine Corps and paratroopers targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, The New York Times reported.