US EYES plans to obtain Iran’s nuclear material: report

♪. GRIFF: WELCOME BACK. RIGHT NOW THE WHITE HOUSE. REPORTEDLY WEIGHING A COMPLEX. PLAN TO SNATCH ENRETCHED URANIUM. FROM IRAN'S NUCLEAR SITES, EYEING THE MYSTERIOUS PICKAXE. MOUNTAIN THE TERRORIST REGIME. BELIEFS CANNOT BE DESTROYED --. BELIEVES CANNOT BE DESTROYED. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE KEY. NUKE CAPABILITIES TILL IN PLACE.

THIS IS PICKAXE MOUNTAIN, LITERALLY, THE TRANSLATION OF. THE MOUNTAIN IN PERSIAN IS. PICKAXE. IT IS A FACILITY THAT IS RIGHT. NEXT TO NATANZ. YOU'LL REMEMBER NATANZ, FORDO, ISFAHAN WHERE ARE THE -- WERE. THE SITES THAT WERE STRUCK BACK. DURING "OPERATION MIDNIGHT. HAMMER" LAST SUMMER, BUT WE DID. NOT HIT PICKAXE MOUNTAIN. WHY ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT IT. NOW? SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS. CONSTRUCTION ALONG THE ROAD.

CONTINUED AROUND THIS. IT'S AB A MILE FROM BUT POSSIBLY. ADJACENT BY TUNNEL TO NATANZ, AND IT SUGGESTS THAT IRAN IS. TRYING TO RECONSTITUTE THEIR. NUCLEAR PROGRAM. BUT HERE'S WHAT'S REALLY. INTERESTING. HERE'S WHY IT'S DIFFICULT TO. HIT. THAT'S WHAT I CARE MOST ABOUT, BECAUSE IT'S CONSIDERED TO BE. 300-450 FEET UNDERGROUND, REINFORCED. BACK DURING "OPERATION MIDNIGHT. HAMMER," WE HAD THE GBU-57, OUR.

30,000-POUND IF MASSIVE ORDNANCE. PENETRATOR BOMBS. THEY WERE DROPPED THERE FROM. B2s. THEY FLEW IN STEALTH FROM. WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE IN. MISSOURI, THEY COULD ONLY HIT. 200. AND EXPERTS SAY EVEN IF YOU DROP. MULTIPLE GB-57s ON TOP OF EACH. OTHER, YOU COULDN'T KEEP GOING. DOWN X THAT SUGGESTS THAT WE. POSSIBLY MIGHT HAVE THE USE. SPECIAL FORCES TO GET INTO A. FACILITY THAT INSPECTORS HAVE. NEVER BEEN TO. SO WITH THAT, LET'S BRING IN FOX.

NEWS CONTRIBUTOR AND FORMER CIA. STATION CHIEF DAN HOFFMAN. DAN, I TRIED TO LAY IT OUT. YOU UNDERSTAND BETTER THAN I. WHEN WE HEAR THAT THERE IS. POSSIBLY SOMETHING COMING, DO. YOU BELIEVE THAT WE COULD GET TO. WHAT'S IN PICKAXE MOUNTAIN WITH. JUST BOMBS, OR COULD IT NEED. POTENTIAL FORCES? -- SPECIAL. FORCES? >> GRIFF, I THINK IT STARTS WITH. ININTELLIGENCE, AND THAT MEANS. HUMAN INTELLIGENCE FROM OUR. SOURCES INSIDE IRAN AND THOSE OF. OUR ALLIES, OVERHEAD.

RECONNAISSANCE. WE'VE BEEN CONDUCTING. SURVEILLANCE OF THESE SITES FOR. QUITE SOME TIME, AND THOSE --. THE INTELLIGENCE REPORTING WOULD. BE PRESENTED TO THE PRESIDENT, AND THAT WOULD GIVE THE. PRESIDENT AN IDEA ABOUT WHERE. THE CENTRIFUGES ARE. WE'RE INTERESTED IN CENTRIFUGES, NUCLEAR HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM. AS WELL AS WHERE IRAN'S. SCIENTISTS ARE. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S ALL CRITICAL. FOR US. AND HEN THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE. LOOKING AT OPTIONS, MILITARY. OPTIONS. CAN WE BOMB OUR WAY IN AND. DESTROY THOSE SITES, OR WOULD IT.

REQUIRE SOME BOOTS ON THE. GROUND. I CAN TELL YOU THAT BOTH OF. THOSE ARE RISKY. THE OPTIONS ARE EITHER NEGOTIATE. AN END TO IRAN'S NUCLEAR. PROGRAM, AND WE'RE NOT THERE, OR. CONDUCT KINETIC STRIKES. IF WE WERE TO CONDUCT ANY. STRIKES ON THE GROUND, WE WOULD. NEED A SAFE AIR CORRIDOR. ABOVEGROUND AND A SAFE PERIMETER. ON THE GROUND. THERE'S NO ELEMENT OF SURPRISE. HERE. THAT'S A GREAT CHALLENGE. IRAN WOULD KNOW WE'RE COMING,

AND PRESUMABLY THEY'VE GOT A. PLAN TO DEFEND THAT SITE WITH. BOOBY TRAPPED EXPLOSIVES AMONG. OTHER THINGS. SO THIS WOULD BE HIGHLY RISKY. GRIFF: HIGHLY RISKY. SO LET'S READ SOME OF THE CLUES. WE'RE SORT OF SEEING HERE. BECAUSE THE RECENT STRIKES THAT. IRAN LAUNCHED WITH SOME OF THEIR. MOST SOPHISTICATEDDED BALLISTIC. MISSILES THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR. HIKING PLACES LIKE -- HITTING. PLACES LIKE PRINCE SULTAN'S AIR. BASE IN SAUDI ARABIA.

THAT IS LIKELY DIRECTLY. CORRELATED TO THE U.S. BUILDUP. IN THE REGION. AD TO THAT -- ADD TO THAT IRAN'S. NEW LEADER, MOJTABA KHAMENEI, IN. "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS NOW. SAYING HE IS OPEN TO PURSUING A. NUCLEAR WEAPON. "THE NEW YORK TIMES" WRITING HE. ISSUED A RELIGIOUS ORDER. PROHIBITING THE USE OF NUCLEAR. WEAPONS BY IRAN, A STANCE. PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED TO THE. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY.

AGENCY IN 2005. THE FATWA DID NOT BLOCK THE. GOVERNMENT FROM TAKING STEPS. TOWARDS WEAPONIZATION. AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS. ASSESS MOJTABA KHAMENEI, THE. SON, DID NOT SHARE HIS FATHER'S. HESITANCY AND WAS INTERESTED IN. PURSUING AN ADVANCED NUCLEAR. WEAPON. ADD THOSE UP, WHERE DOES IT GETS. US, DAN? >> WELL, LISTEN, I READ THAT. STORY AS WELL. BUT I THINK IT'S LESS OF A. CHANGE THAN WE MIGHT BELIEVE. BECAUSE, LOOK, IRAN HAD BEEN.

ENRICHING THEIR URANIUM TO 60%. FOR QUITE SOME TIME. YOU DON'T DO THAT UNLESS YOU. WANT TO PURSUE A NUCLEAR WEAPONS. PROGRAM. AND THAT WAS PART OF THE REASON. WE BOMBED THOSE IRANIAN SITES IN. THE 12-DAY WAR LAST YEAR AND WHY. PRESIDENT TRUMP DEPLOYED U.S. MILITARY ASSETS TO THE REGION. THIS YEAR, TO TRY TO INDUCE IRAN. TO NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH WHICH. THEY ARE REFUSE TO DO. NOW, WE HAVE REALLY DEGRADED. IRAN'S MILITARY CAPACITY. HOWEVER, THEIR BALLISTIC. MISSILES AND KRONES -- DRONES.

ARE DISBEARSED -- DISBURSED. THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THEY. ARE ABLE TO STRIKE OUR ASSETS IN. THE REGION AND PRESENT SOME. CHALLENGES FOR US IF, INDEED, WE. WERE TO CONDUCT ON THE GROUND. OPERATIONS. I THINK FOR THE TRUMP. ADMINISTRATION THERE ARE OTHER. WAYS TO GET AT IRAN'S NUCLEAR. PROGRAM INCLUDING FURTHER. KINETIC STRIKES, DECAPITATION. STRIKES AT IRAN'S LEADERSHIP IF. THIS ITERATION OF IRAN'S. LEADERSHIP DOESN'T WANT TO. NEGOTIATE, PERHAPS THE NEXT ONE. WILL. AND I'M QUITE SURE THE PRESIDENT. AND HIS SECURITY TEAM ARE US.

HUDDLING A AND CONSIDERING ALL. THESE OPTIONS IN ADVANCE TO. PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU'S VISIT. NEXT WEEK. GRIFF: WELL, THAT'S RIGHT. AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT AHMAD. VAHIDI WHO IS THE IRGC. COMMANDER, WAS THE GUY IN CHARGE. OF THE QUDS FORCE UNDER. KHAMAMENEI'S FATHER NOW RUNNING. THINGS AND CLEARLY STRIKING.