US prepares 'risky' scenario for transferring uranium from Iran

ALBAWABA - Iran's enriched Uranium remains one of the biggest issues that is holding back the peace talks between Washington and Tehran. Today, a second round of talks is expected to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan.

According to U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington sent Vice President JD Vance, Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan, and they'll arrive on Monday.

On the other side, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said its delegation will not be attending the talks in Islamabad, accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire.

US' high-risk' scenario for transferring uranium from Iran

A retired United States Navy SEAL confirmed that Washington is capable of conducting a military operation in Iran to remove highly enriched uranium. Robert Harward told CBS News' "60 Minutes" that "any operation in Iran could take many weeks and would require a large-scale deployment involving all branches of the armed forces."

Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward has outlined what a ground invasion of Iran would require: weeks of operations, a large military footprint, occupation of territory, bulldozing rubble, building landing strips, and expected casualties pic.twitter.com/vtZAOCt8py

— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) April 20, 2026

When asked whether such an operation would be worth risking American lives, Harward answered, "Yes," anticipating casualties.

"Any operation in Iran could take many weeks and require a large-scale deployment involving all branches of the U.S. armed forces," Harward further added.

He added, "It's a high-risk operation. You have to control territory, engage, and force your way through. All of those risks are inherent in such an operation, but we are capable of carrying it out."

^{Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 08, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. Photo by ANDREW HARNIK / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP}

When he was asked about the country's ability to send equipment to Iran, Harward said, "That's what our military does. When we went into Afghanistan, we built an airstrip in the desert and brought in C-17s."

But what worries Harward is the weapons that remain available to Iran on the battlefield today, according to the report.