Media: Trump considers seizing uranium in Iran

2026-03-31 10:13:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

According to a media report, US President Trump is considering deploying ground troops to extract approximately 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium buried deep beneath Iranian nuclear facilities.

The United States and Israel are continuing their massive attacks on Iran as the war enters its fifth week. Is US President Donald Trump planning a ground offensive in Iran? According to the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, US President Donald Trump is currently assessing how dangerous a uranium extraction operation would be for ground troops. The president is said to have not yet made a decision. However, Trump is generally open to the idea, as such a military operation could help him achieve his main goal – namely, to prevent Iran from ever producing nuclear weapons.

Before Israel and the United States launched air strikes against Iran last June, during which three nuclear facilities were bombed, the country possessed, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), more than 400 kilograms of uranium with a purity of 60%. For the production of nuclear weapons, a purity of over 90% is required. According to the assessment of the IAEA Director General, Grossi, the uranium is located mainly in underground tunnels and storage areas at the nuclear facilities of Isfahan and Natanz, both of which were bombed by the United States and Israel last June.

Kharg Island in focus of plans for ground offensive

The Washington Post had previously reported on plans for a ground offensive. The plans are already at an advanced stage and include ground operations by special forces and conventional ground troops on Kharg Island – which is vital to Iranian oil exports – as well as coastal locations near the Strait of Hormuz, the newspaper reported. Trump himself remained vague when speaking to the Financial Times: “Maybe we’ll take Kharg Island, maybe we won’t. We have a lot of options.” Iran handles about 90 percent of its oil exports through Kharg. “To be honest, I would prefer to take the oil out of Iran,” the US president said.

The Pentagon had ordered the deployment of about 10,000 trained troops to capture and secure the territory. According to experts, an attack on Khargu would be dangerous. Once the island was captured and occupied, American soldiers could become an easy target for Iranian attacks.

Iran warns US not to launch ground offensive

The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ghalibaf, has warned the United States against escalation. He claimed that Washington was signaling a willingness to negotiate but was secretly planning a ground attack. He described this as a diversionary tactic. Iran said it was prepared and would not accept any humiliation. The spokesman for the Iranian armed forces told state broadcaster IRIB that a ground offensive or the occupation of any part of Iranian territory would be a “futile dream” – and that they were simply waiting for such an action./ DW