The US military recently prepared an emergency ground mission to seize Iran's enriched uranium, but President Donald Trump blocked the plan, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Iran's uranium is spread across several nuclear facilities, mainly at the Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow complexes, and is hidden deep inside tunnels.
A top US general secretly visited the US military's Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to receive a personal briefing on the plan, which called for sending ground forces to Iran to forcibly take enriched uranium, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Around the same time, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, traveled to Brussels for a meeting with NATO officials. Sources told CNN that the urgent nature of these moves suggested the administration was close to approving the operation.
But after Caine briefed Trump on the possibility of such a mission, the president blocked it. Trump was warned that the operation could provoke a harsh Iranian response and further shake the global economy. He also expressed concerns about the possibility of significant American casualties.
The advanced planning came at a time when Trump has repeatedly said the United States and Iran are moving closer to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. On Thursday, Trump said Washington and Tehran would sign a deal soon, possibly over the weekend.
But the fact that US officials were still discussing the possibility of sending ground forces into Iran as recently as last month suggests that Washington was very close to a major escalation of the conflict. A source familiar with the uranium seizure plan told CNN that implementing it would have involved "a lot of risk," adding that it was not surprising that Trump chose not to give it the green light.
CNN also reported that Iran was prepared to inflict severe damage on the global economy if talks with the United States failed. Three sources familiar with the matter said the plan included the Houthis closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key sea route for world trade, in addition to closing the Strait of Hormuz.
Recent reports indicate that Washington and Tehran are now moving closer to signing an agreement that will also address the issue of Iran's enriched uranium, writes Ynet.
A senior US administration official held a briefing on the expected deal on Friday evening, saying that “an understanding has been reached regarding the destruction and removal of enriched material” that Iran possesses. The official added that, under the agreement, the United States would take delivery of the material and that the agreement would lead to “the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program.”
A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed that progress had been achieved between the parties.
“We are in the final stages of finalizing and drafting it internally,” he said. “In the meantime, a meeting of relevant institutions and bodies is taking place. It is clear to everyone which party is acting in good faith and which is not. We cannot comment on the time and place of signing the agreement. First, we have to wait until the final decision is made internally.”
He added:
“We entered the diplomatic process in good faith to reach an understanding. In negotiations, we are focused on achieving results and following the positions of the other side. We are taking into account our previous experience in negotiations with the American side.”
