Military presents Trump with plan to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles — newspaper

Lead

US military officials have presented President Donald Trump with a plan to seize Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium, according to a report by The Washington Post. The plan, developed at the president's request, would involve flying in excavation equipment and building a runway for cargo planes to transport the radioactive material out of Iran, the newspaper reported.

The report, carried by TASS, describes the operation as "a very difficult endeavor of a type never before attempted in wartime," requiring the airlift of potentially hundreds or thousands of troops and heavy equipment. The plan was briefed to the president in the past week, along with its significant operational risks, according to the newspaper.

Coverage Comparison

All five sources in this analysis are from TASS, the Russian state news agency, which has reported extensively on the story. The coverage consistently attributes the plan to The Washington Post, though the details have not been independently verified by other outlets. TASS's reporting includes statements from US officials, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, as well as reactions from Iranian officials.

Key Claims

The US military's plan to seize Iran's enriched uranium — According to The Washington Post, as reported by TASS, the plan involves seizing nearly 1,000 pounds (about 454 kilograms) of highly enriched uranium. The operation would take place "under fire deep inside Iran," and one expert noted it could be the most complex operation of its kind in history.

White House statements on Iran's agreement to transfer uranium — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing that Iran had agreed to transfer its enriched uranium to the United States. She described the transfer as "on the top of the priority list" for President Trump and his negotiating team, calling it "a red line that the president is not going to back away from." When asked whether Iranian representatives had indicated readiness to transfer the nuclear fuel, Leavitt said "they have."

Pentagon's threat of force — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a press conference that Iran must either hand over its enriched uranium voluntarily or face US action. He referenced Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, as an example of what the US might do. Hegseth also stated that "any nuclear material they should not have will be removed right now," and that "there will be no Iranian nuclear weapons."

President Trump's statements — President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Tehran would never enrich uranium and that the US would work with Iran to relocate all enriched uranium. He also claimed that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium from facilities attacked in June 2025.

Iranian perspective — Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for Iran's Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the US demands to stop enrichment are aimed at "stripping Iran of its deterrence capability for the next war." He wrote on X that the "enemy's pressure" is intended to advance "the project of destruction and fragmentation" of the Islamic republic.

Perspectives

The US administration, through statements from President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and Press Secretary Leavitt, presents the removal of Iran's enriched uranium as a necessary step to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. They emphasize that the transfer could be achieved through diplomacy, but reserve the right to use force if necessary.

Iranian officials, as quoted by TASS, view the US demands as an attempt to weaken Iran's defense capabilities and deterrence. They have not confirmed the reported agreement to transfer uranium, and the lack of confirmation from Tehran is noted in the coverage.

The Washington Post's report, as relayed by TASS, highlights the operational complexity and risks of the military plan, suggesting that the administration is considering a range of options, with the White House emphasizing that the president has not yet made a decision.

As of this writing, there has been no official confirmation from Tehran regarding the reported agreement to transfer enriched uranium. The situation remains fluid, and further developments are expected.