High-ranking US officials are reportedly raising the alarm over the POTUS's 'dangerous mission' to seize Iran's supply of enriched uranium.
Cabinet-level figures are actively raising internal alarms regarding what they describe as an exceptionally dangerous military mission driven primarily by political optics.
President Donald Trump addressed the issue on Thursday, asserting that it was more of a suggestion. 'I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's — I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else,' he said in aFox Newsinterview. 'The other thing we could do is bomb [Iran] again,' he added. 'But I, just, I would feel better getting it, and we will get it.'
White House officials toldZeteothat Trump is committed to getting that uranium stockpile, however, describing it as a 'dangerous mission.' One source said Trump is unaware of the operation's logistical scale. 'There's a lot of it and it's f***** heavy,' they said. 'It's not the Seal Team 6 movie that Donald Trump has in his head.'
Zeteo claims that Trump is facing heavy opposition, and officials are dissuading him with reason.
'Some of these officials have been trying to subtly wean the president off of this proposal, citing the likely possibility of high numbers of US troops being killed, captured, or wounded, as well as other logistical and political nightmares that could come with ordering such a dangerous mission,' the news outlet wrote.
'A lot of officials working at the senior and Cabinet levels of Trump's government think it's a resoundingly terrible idea (In fact, it's hard to find any Trump officials of actual influence who, in their quieter and private moments, will say that it's a decent idea),' they added.
Trump is allegedly leaning towards greenlighting the operation, despite expert reports that the uranium stockpile is not enriched enough to produce nuclear weapons.
The nuclear material is a key point in the US and Iran's ongoing talks toward ending the war. Trump described that as a 'back and forth' of Iran agreeing to turn over the uranium, but backtracking on the promise afterwards. 'They agreed to it, but then they take it back, and they agree,' he said.
Iranian officials warned of their 'full readiness' to protect nuclear sites, citing the US attempts to obtain the uranium as provocative. White House officials are concerned this tension would lead to unintended escalation, even if the operation is staged for political optics. Tehran's response underscores how public discussion of seizures can harden the adversary's defences, rendering discreet, negotiated options ineffective.
Source: International Business Times UK
