US Military Prepared Ground Mission to Capture Iran’s Uranium, but Trump Paused It: CNN
The plan targeted 970 pounds of near-weapons-grade uranium and was halted after warnings of severe retaliation and possible U.S. casualties, sources said.
- The U.S. military rapidly drew up plans for an emergency ground operation to forcibly seize Iran's highly enriched uranium, preparing a major deployment of significant ground forces rather than a simple special operations raid.
- The planning was so urgent it triggered a secret transatlantic journey by America's top general, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine rushing from a NATO summit in Brussels to U.S. Central Command in Florida on May 19 to review the strategy.
- Military planners designated the proposed mission as a "High to Extreme" risk level, warning that troops would face heavily fortified underground facilities and booby-trapped storage tunnels across primary nuclear sites like Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
- President Donald Trump ultimately hit pause on the ground invasion due to severe risk factors, following direct briefings warning him of significant American casualties, a prolonged regional war, and catastrophic disruptions to the global economy.
- The secret preparations leaked amidst a sharp pivot toward diplomacy, as Trump recently downplayed the option of a physical seizure by noting the uranium is "buried under a mountain," shifting focus instead to a pending regional ceasefire that could see the material downblended under UN supervision.
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22 Articles
Why Did Trump Pause A Proposed Mission To Seize Iran’s Uranium?
The U.S. military reportedly developed contingency plans for a ground operation aimed at securing Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles, but President Donald Trump ultimately chose not to proceed with the proposal due to concerns about military, political, and economic risks. According to reports, the planning process accelerated as U.S. officials evaluated options for preventing Iran’s nuclear material from being used in a future weapons pr…
Exclusive: US military rushed to prepare ground mission to capture Iran’s uranium, but Trump paused it, sources say
The US’ top general made a secret, rushed visit to US Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to be briefed in person on plans for the US military to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium, the key component necessary to produce a nuclear weapon, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Significant numbers of U.S. casualties and concern over Iran's retaliation have brought political power back on a mission that would force a land invasion
The operation, which demanded hundreds of troops and ranked between “High and Extreme” risks, was paused by Trump’s order following warnings of devastating reprisals and a significant number of casualties.
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