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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

US, Israel consider sending special forces to Iran to seize highly enriched uranium

The Axios portal said such a scenario is being considered if the sides conclude that Iran’s military capabilities have been sufficiently weakened

WASHINGTON, March 8. /TASS/. The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of sending special forces to Iran to seize stockpiles of highly enriched uranium there, the Axios portal reported, citing sources.

The report said such a scenario is being considered if the sides conclude that Iran’s military capabilities have been sufficiently weakened.

According to a US source cited by the portal, two options have already been discussed within the US administration: the complete removal of the material from Iran or the involvement of nuclear energy experts. These specialists would "dilute" the highly enriched uranium on site by mixing it with depleted material of the same type in order to reduce the concentration of the uranium-235 isotope. The resulting material would become unsuitable for use as fuel or for the production of nuclear weapons.

As the portal noted, not only military personnel but also scientists may take part in the operation, including specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In total, according to Axios, Iran currently possesses 450 kg of uranium enriched to 60%, which would be enough to produce weapons within several weeks.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that his administration does not currently plan to deploy ground forces to Iran, but did not rule out that this could happen in the future.

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United States Iran

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