The administration of US President Donald Trump is examining methods to seize or remove nuclear material from Iran, CBS News reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, the timing of any potential operation, if Trump were to order one, remains unclear and no final decision has been made. Two sources said the planning is focused on the possible deployment of forces from the Joint Special Operations Command, an elite US military unit tasked with highly sensitive missions, including counterproliferation.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said the Pentagon's role is "to prepare for a range of options."
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote: "We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran."
The internal discussions over Iran's nuclear material come amid an escalating confrontation that initially centered on degrading Iran's conventional military capabilities, including air defense systems, missile arrays and key infrastructure linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The initial wave of strikes carried out by US and Israeli forces aimed to limit Iran's ability to respond across the region. Despite the aerial campaign, however, Iran has managed to launch attacks against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, and has disrupted most oil shipments through threats against vessels.
Six US soldiers were killed and dozens wounded in an Iranian drone attack on a base in Kuwait, while another US service member was killed in a strike in Saudi Arabia. Six more Americans were killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq last week.
More recently, the administration has shifted its focus toward a longer-term objective outlined by Trump at the start of the war: ensuring that Iran can no longer produce nuclear weapons.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as of last summer Iran had accumulated about 972 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a short step from weapons-grade material. Much of that uranium remains buried beneath nuclear sites that were bombed in operation Midnight Hammer last summer.
