Foreign Media: U.S. Military Plans Raid to Seize Iran's Enriched Uranium

Reference News Network reported on July 29 According to a report from the website of RT on July 26, the U.S. New York Post cited sources on the 25th stating that the Pentagon is considering an operation aimed at seizing Iran's enriched uranium reserves, which could become "the most complex operation in military history."

A source revealed to the newspaper that the plan would deploy thousands of ground troops to raid the heavily defended Iranian nuclear facilities, with a small elite strike team responsible for seizing the enriched uranium.

Iran's enriched uranium could be key to manufacturing nuclear weapons, and its exact whereabouts are unclear. Tehran has four major nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin, the first three of which were attacked by the U.S. and Israel last year. It is estimated that Iran possesses about 440 kilograms of enriched uranium, of which approximately 200 kilograms is believed to be stored in deep tunnels outside Isfahan, while the remainder is thought to be hidden in Natanz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously stated that Tehran's highly enriched uranium remains buried beneath the "ruins" of the nuclear facilities attacked by the U.S. and Israel, and Iran currently has "no plans" to recover or dilute this uranium.

The Parchin nuclear facility is a heavily defended site carved deep into granite bedrock, which escaped last year's attack because it was still under construction and mostly empty at the time.

Reports indicate that the facility has since been reinforced. The U.S. and Israel have also suggested that Iran may have moved centrifuges (and possibly uranium) deeper underground at this facility.

According to the New York Post, U.S. conventional forces would be responsible for raiding these facilities and establishing a defensive perimeter. Meanwhile, small units, including the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6's Silver Squadron, the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and the 21st Ordnance Company, would be tasked with handling and transporting nuclear materials.

Reports state that the operation would require ground forces to clear booby traps and reopen collapsed tunnel entrances, while U.S. aircraft would establish an air corridor with complete control to transport the uranium out.

Joseph Rogers, deputy director of the Nuclear Issues Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview with the New York Post: "I don't want to say this, but I think the most likely way to eliminate Iran's nuclear materials (at least those they currently possess) is through military action, as negotiations are progressing slowly." He described the raid as potentially "the most complex operation in military history."

Rogers stated: "This will be a very heavy and difficult logistical operation conducted in a hostile environment."

The U.S. New York Times reported last month that a large portion of Iran's uranium is believed to be buried extremely deep, and even the most powerful U.S. bunker busters may not be able to destroy it. The report warned that any operation would face significant risks due to the highly toxic nature of uranium when exposed to moist environments. (Translation/ Li Sha)