US Military Plan to Seize Iranian Uranium Halted

Washington. The US military plan to seize about half a ton of highly enriched uranium stored in underground tunnels in Iran has been postponed at the last moment. According to US intelligence agencies, President Donald Trump decided to halt the high-risk on-site military operation after Iran exceptionally tightened the security of its nuclear facilities.

Recently released satellite images show extensive security arrangements in the underground tunnel complex in the mountainous region of Isfahan, Iran. The US side claims that Iran has demolished and sealed the tunnel entrances and also placed landmines and other explosive traps there.

Although the US military had made final preparations for the operation to seize the uranium in May, the operation became extremely complex after Iran created further security obstacles. For this reason, the Trump administration decided to postpone the military option for the time being, according to CNN news.

In an interview with Fox News, President Trump claimed that the US is closely monitoring Iran's activities and said, 'We know exactly what is going on there. Nobody has gotten close to it yet.'

However, according to security analysts, Iran has strengthened its security structure further after signals of a potential military operation on nuclear facilities came from the US leadership.

Meanwhile, the impact of regional tensions has also begun to be seen in the global market. Experts have warned that international energy supply could come under pressure as inventories at crude oil storage facilities in Oklahoma, USA, dwindle and Iran creates obstacles in the Strait of Hormuz.

It is said that negotiations are currently underway between Washington and Tehran to end the war and manage Iran's enriched uranium. Under the proposed understanding, discussions are ongoing about the option of Iran handing over the enriched uranium to the US, with a US technical team disabling it and taking it out of the country.

However, due to the explosive traps placed in the tunnels, the process of safely removing the material may become technically difficult and time-consuming.

Iran is interpreting the current situation as its strategic success, while the US claims to have shot down a large number of Iranian drones. However, the final terms of the potential agreement between the two sides are not yet clear.

Technical and diplomatic talks in the coming weeks are expected to determine the future of Iran's nuclear program, US-Iran relations, and regional security.