The US president Donald Trump is considering a military operation with the goal of extracting 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The operation ‘‘would likely put American forces inside the country for days or longer’‘, according to the Journal, which cites unnamed security officials.
Trump has yet to make a decision, but ‘‘remains generally open to the idea, according to the officials, because it could help accomplish his central goal of preventing Iran from ever making a nuclear weapon.’‘
The BBC has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment.
The New York Times reports that troops deployed to the region ‘‘could be used in a mission aimed at Iran’s highly enriched uranium at the Isfahan nuclear site’‘ but that they could also be used to seize Kharg Island or protect the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump was ‘‘clearly considering’‘ an operation to ‘‘seize and destroy near-bomb-grade nuclear material believed to be largely stored deep under a mountain in Isfahan’‘.
Both outlets point out that the operation would be complicated and high-risk.
Source: BBC
--Agencies
