Trump halts US ground operation in Iran for enriched uranium

Pentagon plans were prepared and briefed at the highest level, but concerns over escalation, casualties and economic fallout led to a pause

The Pentagon had developed operational plans to deploy U.S. ground forces into Iran to seize enriched uranium stockpiles, but President Donald Trump halted the initiative after being briefed on the risks, according to a report by CNN.

The plans were presented following a rapid sequence of high-level consultations. On May 19, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine abruptly left Brussels, where he had been attending a NATO meeting, to travel to U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa. There, he received a classified briefing on the proposed operation.

Caine’s direct involvement and the urgency surrounding the briefing underscored how close the administration came to approving a high-risk ground mission. After reviewing the plans, however, Trump opted to pause the operation.

The decision was driven by concerns over a potential severe Iranian retaliation, the risk of a broader regional conflict, and the prospect of worsening global economic consequences. According to CNN sources, the president also raised alarm over the likelihood of significant U.S. casualties. “Too many risks,” one source summarized.

The report, citing five sources familiar with U.S. intelligence, also indicates that in recent weeks Iran has intensified efforts to conceal and secure its enriched uranium reserves. These measures reportedly include collapsing access tunnels to underground storage facilities and mining entry points.

As a result, reaching approximately half a ton of enriched uranium is now considered significantly more difficult, more dangerous, and likely to require more time than previously assessed. Just weeks earlier, Trump had publicly suggested he could order U.S. troops into Iran to retrieve the material, but ultimately refrained from issuing a final directive after reviewing the operational plans.

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