Ex-CENTCOM commanderwarns against ‘risky’ US ground op to seize Iran uranium
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Rejection. US Army Gen. David Petraeus warned against a US ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, while saying more assassinations of Iranian leaders will not end ongoing problems.
“This could be a very, very tall order, it could be extremely risky. And the losses could potentially be quite significant,” he said on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Monday.
“Assassinating a few more leaders will not end this issue,” he added.
Petraeus’ comments come as a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday and President Donald Trump has suggested an extension is “very unlikely.”
US captures Iranian ship after opening fire; PAKISTAN SPEAKING DOUBT
When Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was asked this week whether U.S. forces would move to seize enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, he declined to answer, citing operational security. (Güvendemir/Getty Images)
The former CENTCOM commander, who led troops into battle during the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said deploying US ground troops to Iran would be too risky.
“We’re really not sure where these canisters of thousands of pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium are,” he said. “They’re going to have to do a very, very large amount of excavation. That’s what makes the idea of a forced ground operation very, very challenging, by the way.”
Petraeus noted that although Iran has felt the damage of the US military action, the regime is not hopeless.
“They’ve seen too much damage for us to inflict,” he said.
“They know what we can do… They’re also trying to figure out how much they can give on other issues that have traditionally been very, very difficult to negotiate.”
IRAN IS REVERSING THE ROUTE TOWARDS THE OPENING OF THE STRAIT OF HORmuz
A split image shows Iranian officials viewing the wreckage of a U.S. military helicopter in Iran on April 5, 2026, and President Donald Trump speaking at a news conference in Washington, DC, on April 6, 2026. (Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance/Chen Mengtong/Getty Images)
Trump said that the United States would impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports until an agreement is reached. But Petraeus said economic pressure had not made Iran completely hopeless.
“They are not at the point of despair,” he argued.
The former CIA director argued that both the United States and Iran wanted the war to end, pointing to the economic difficulties experienced by both countries during the 52-day conflict.
“I don’t think either side wants to go back to full-scale war,” Petraeus said. “There has been damage to the infrastructures of the Gulf countries. We definitely do not want to see more.”
Vice President J.D. Vance and senior White House officials are set to depart for Pakistan on Tuesday for a new round of peace talks, but recent reports from Iranian state media cast doubt on such meetings.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Frankly, I think both sides really want a deal,” Petraeus said. “Obviously, there’s going to be challenges for us domestically if this continues. Frankly, there’s going to be huge challenges for them as well.” [Iran] “If it continues, economically and financially.”
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the Musandam coast of Oman, April 18, 2026. (Reuters)
The former CENTCOM commander said the two main points of discussion in the talks will be Iran’s uranium enrichment and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We will see if there is any commercial space,” he said.
