The US military had been preparing a ground mission to capture Iran’s highly enriched uranium, a key component in producing a nuclear weapon. However, President Donald Trump put the operation on hold after being warned of potential severe Iranian retaliation and significant US casualties.

Background

The US’ top general, Gen. Dan Caine, made a secret visit to US Central Command headquarters in Florida to be briefed on the plans for the operation. The briefings were so urgent and sensitive that they required Gen. Caine to rush back from a meeting of senior NATO officials in Brussels.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the US and Iran are approaching an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and conclude negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. However, the discussions around sending ground troops into Iran show how close the US has come to a massive escalation of the conflict.

The operation to capture the uranium would require a significant US ground force, including hundreds of special operators. US military commanders have determined that such an operation would fall between ‘High to Extreme’ on the ‘Acceptable Level of Risk’ for special operations forces, meaning the mission could result in a significant number of American casualties.

Consequences

If a ground operation to capture the uranium were launched, the risk of economic damage from the closing of the Bab-al-Mandab strait could be catastrophic to the world economy. Iran has also been plotting an economic ‘nuclear option’ if negotiations with the US fail and the war resumes.

Nuclear experts have expressed skepticism that a US military operation could even locate and verify all the uranium, much less safely and completely remove it under hostile conditions. The US intelligence community is confident it knows where all the uranium is, thanks largely to continuous overhead surveillance.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.