US weighed ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium - CNN
The US military prepared plans for a possible ground operation inside Iran to seize highly enriched uranium, prompting America’s top general to make an urgent secret visit to Central Command headquarters in Florida last month, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly rushed from a meeting of senior NATO officials in Brussels to Tampa on May 19 for in-person briefings on the potential operation.
The urgency of the briefings showed how close the Trump administration came to approving the high-risk plan, CNN reported. Caine later briefed President Donald Trump on the options, according to one of the sources.
Trump ultimately paused the plan after being warned it could trigger severe Iranian retaliation, prolong the war and worsen turmoil in the global economy. He was also concerned about the possibility of significant US casualties, sources told CNN.
