Fears rise over Iran’s partially enriched uranium pile falling into wrong hands as war deepens 

A potential US military operation to locate and extract Iran's stockpile of 400 kg of enriched uranium will be very dangerous. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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HOUSTON – The blockaded Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on energy infrastructure across the Middle East may be generating all the headlines, but a quieter and potentially graver threat could arise from within Iran, posed by its partially enriched stockpile of nuclear materials.

US President Donald Trump, who has said preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons was one of his objectives for launching the ongoing military campaign, is believed to be considering a risky operation to remove radioactive material from deep inside Iran. 

During an Oval Office press conference on March 16, Mr Trump was asked if it might be necessary to use a limited ground force to secure Iran’s nuclear materials. 

He refused to respond, calling it a “stupid” question. “If any president answered those questions, they shouldn’t be president,” he said.

However, if it is carried out, such a mission would rank among the most daring US military undertakings, involving special teams trained in handling nuclear materials to locate and extract Iran’s stockpile of 60 per cent-enriched uranium estimated at 440.9kg.