Former CENTCOM commander warns against US ‘danger’ of seizing Iran’s uranium
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Ret. US Army General David Petraeus said the killing of several Iranian leaders will not end the ongoing problems while warning of a US campaign to seize Iran’s enriched uranium waste.
“This could be a very long process, it could be very dangerous. And there could be a lot of casualties,” he said Monday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“Killing a few more leaders will not end this issue,” he added.
Petraeus’ comments come as a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump saying an extension is “highly unlikely.”
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When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked this week whether US troops would go to protect the enriched uranium reportedly stored at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear complex, he declined to say, citing operational security. (Guvendemir/Getty Images)
The former CENTCOM commander, who led the military during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, said the deployment of US ground troops to Iran would be a major risk.
“We are not sure where these bombs are, of these 1,000 pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium,” he said. “They’re going to have to dig very, very deep … That’s what makes the concept of forced labor so challenging.”
Petraeus noted that although Iran has felt the damage of the United States’ military campaign, the regime is not optimistic.
“They saw the great damage we could do,” he said.
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A separate photo shows damage from what Iranian authorities say is a U.S. military helicopter in Iran on April 5, 2026, and President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in Washington, DC, on April 6, 2026. (Iran Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance/Chen Mengtong/Getty Images)
“They know what we can do… They are also trying to find out how much they can contribute to these other issues that have been very difficult to negotiate.”
Trump has said he will implement a blockade of US warships in Iranian ports until a deal is reached. However, Petraeus said that economic pressure has made Iran completely desperate.
“They are not at the level of despair,” he said.
The former CIA director revealed that the US and Iran want the war to end, citing the economic challenges both nations have faced during the 52-day conflict.
“I don’t think either side really wants to go back to full-scale war,” Petraeus said. “There has been damage to infrastructure in the Gulf states. And we certainly don’t want to see more of that.”
Vice President JD Vance and senior White House officials will head to Pakistan on Tuesday for peace talks, although recent reports from Iranian state media cast doubt on the talks.
“I think both sides, in fact, really want a deal,” Petraeus said. “It is clear that there are domestic challenges for us if this continues, it is clear that the challenges they are facing are big [Iran] economically and financially if it continues.”
Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, on April 18, 2026. (Reuters)
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The former CENTCOM commander said the two main points of discussion in the talks will be Iran’s uranium enrichment and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ll see if there’s room for a trade,” he said.
