US military planning to secure Iran’s nuclear materials if deal reached

The US military has discussed contingency plans to help secure Iran‘s nuclear materials in the event of an agreement with Tehran, CBS News reported on Friday, citing US officials.

According to the report, Pentagon planners have examined scenarios in which American forces would support the Department of Energy in securing and removing Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles.

One scenario outlined in the report envisions US troops being deployed across the Middle East to support a rapid-response operation, with specialized Department of Energy teams, including its Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST), entering Iran alongside US Special Operations forces and the Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Command.

Earlier on Friday, a senior Trump administration official told reporters that a long-elusive agreement to end its war against Iran could be reached within the “next few days.”

The official added that the agreement “leads to the dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program,” as well as the US “getting the enriched material.”

The agreement stipulates that the enriched uranium would be destroyed within Iran and then transferred out of the country, the official said.