politics
U.S. military making plans to secure Iran's nuclear materials if deal is reached, sources say
Washington — Amid volatile diplomacy and tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran, American military planners have discussed contingencies that would involve U.S. forces helping secure Iran's nuclear materials if a deal is reached, according to U.S. officials familiar with knowledge of the ongoing planning.
TL;DR
- U.S. military planners have discussed contingency plans to help secure Iran's nuclear materials if a deal is reached.
- These discussions are preliminary and depend on battlefield and political developments.
- The Pentagon could support the Department of Energy in seizing enriched uranium.
- One scenario involves deploying U.S. troops to Middle Eastern countries for a rapid response operation.
- Specialized teams from the Department of Energy, along with military personnel and other U.S. agencies, could enter Iran to secure and remove enriched uranium.
- Similar concepts were examined before an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in April.
- The proposal included participation from U.S. Special Operations forces and the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command.
- The discussions are part of routine military contingency planning and do not represent a decision to conduct an operation.
- An administration official stated that under a deal, Iran's enriched uranium would be 'destroyed on site and then taken out of the country.'
- Technical negotiations regarding the process are expected to last 60 days after a memorandum of understanding is signed.