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    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1589722,
        "msgid": "donald-trump-accused-of-not-having-a-clear-plan-for-the-war-in-iran-1772697665",
        "date": "2026-03-05 14:07:00",
        "title": "Donald Trump Accused of Not Having a Clear Plan for the War in Iran",
        "author": "Irvan Sihombing",
        "source": "MEDIA_INDONESIA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Politics",
        "summary": "Democrat Bill Foster questions the administration's lack of a clear plan to secure Iran's enriched uranium amid ongoing military operations, warning of nuclear proliferation risks. Several senators flag limits on interceptor stocks and replenishment, while officials emphasise focus on missiles and drones; analysts warn that actions could affect Iran's nuclear ambitions and broader regional security.",
        "content": "<p>US Representative Bill Foster, a Democrat, questioned the\ngovernment\u2019s lack of a clear plan to secure Iran\u2019s enriched uranium amid\nthe ongoing offensive, warning of nuclear proliferation risks and the\nlimits of American interceptor stocks. After attending a closed briefing\nwith senior administration officials, Foster told Fox News that\nlawmakers did not receive detailed explanations of steps to secure or\nneutralise the nuclear material. \u2018We\u2019ve heard that they never had a plan\nfor the stockpile of enriched uranium, to destroy it, to seal it, or to\nplace it under international inspection,\u2019 said Foster, who is also a\nphysicist. The US military intervention itself has been justified by the\nTrump administration as a preventive measure so that Iran does not\ndevelop nuclear weapons. To date, more than 1,700 targets across Iran\nhave been attacked, including ballistic missile launch sites, air\ndefence systems, naval assets, and command centres. However, core\nnuclear facilities have not been targeted in the early phase of the\ncampaign. Foster warned that without safeguarding the nuclear material,\nIran remains capable of developing a simple nuclear device. \u2018Until that\nhappens, Iran will be very, very close to making one; Iran could use\nthat material to construct a number of Hiroshima-style devices,\u2019 he\nsaid. \u2018Not a device that can be mounted on a rocket, but a device that\ncould be transported by other means and would be very difficult to\nstop,\u2019 he added. He referred to the enriched uranium, noting that,\naccording to experts, it is indeed easier to assemble into a large,\nsimple nuclear device than a miniaturised warhead for a ballistic\nmissile. While it cannot be launched with a long-range rocket, such a\ndevice could theoretically be transported by other means. According to\nFoster, securing material, much of which is stored deep underground, may\nrequire deployment of ground troops. \u2018You would have to go in there with\nground forces and take a lot of equipment,\u2019 he said. He also warned that\nwithout concrete safeguards, military operations could accelerate Iran\u2019s\nnuclear ambitions. \u2018The only positive thing about the ayatollah is that\nhe has a fatwa against developing nuclear weapons,\u2019 he said. \u2018Who knows\nhow future generations of the ayatollah will feel? They will be under\nheavy pressure from the IRGC, which does not oppose ownership of nuclear\nweapons so strongly,\u2019 he added. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was previously\nknown to have issued a fatwa forbidding the development of nuclear\nweapons, though the effectiveness and binding nature of it are debated\nby analysts. At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt\nstressed that the administration believes Iran intends to build a weapon\nto use against the United States and its allies. \u2018The US military has\nmore than enough ammunition, shells, and stockpiles of weapons to\nachieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury set by President Trump and\neven more besides,\u2019 she said. Other senior officials, including Defence\nSecretary Pete Hegseth and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, emphasised that\nthe focus now is to disable Iran\u2019s ballistic missiles and drones. Rubio\nsaid the United States is working methodically to dismantle Iran\u2019s\nmissile programme so Tehran cannot hide behind it to develop a nuclear\nweapon. However, a number of Democratic lawmakers questioned the\ncampaign\u2019s sustainability. Senator Mark Kelly warned about limited\ninterceptor stockpiles. \u2018We do not have unlimited stocks,\u2019 he said,\nnoting the conflict could be a mathematical problem in balancing strikes\nand air defence stock. He questioned how the US would restock without\nweakening readiness in other theatres. \u2018How can we resupply air defence\nammunition? Where will the ammunition come from? How does that affect\nother operations?\u2019 he asked. Senator Andy Kim also admitted he had not\nreceived adequate answers. \u2018I am very concerned about that,\u2019 he said.\n\u2018Something like \u2019trust us\u2019 is not good enough for me,\u2019 he added.\nConversely, Senator Markwayne Mullin of the Republican Party said\nofficials reassured lawmakers that US forces are in very good condition.\nIsrael\u2019s national security analyst Ehud Eilam assessed that as long as\nIran is not capable of assembling a nuclear weapon in the near term, the\nmost pressing threat remains missiles and drones. \u2018As long as Iran is\nnot able to produce a nuclear weapon in the near term, the focus shifts\nto missiles and drones,\u2019 he said. \u2018There are limits to how many THAAD\nmissiles can be used. This is not a system you can reproduce overnight,\u2019\nhe explained. In the June 2025 Iran-Israel conflict, US forces\nreportedly fired more than 150 THAAD interceptors and a large number of\nship-based interceptors. Analysts note that reconstituting advanced air\ndefence systems such as Patriot, THAAD, and SM-3 could take more than a\nyear, adding pressure in the face of global competition for scarce\nresources, including support for Ukraine. Hundreds of US soldiers\nprotested after a commander described the Iran war as Armageddon\nprophecy and Donald Trump as anointed by Jesus. See the full MRFF report\nhere. Ecuador expelled the Cuban ambassador after Trump proposed a\n\u2018friendly takeover\u2019. Cuba\u2019s foreign minister described the move as a\nresponse to aggressive US pressure to isolate Havana in the region. The\nUS Senate rejected attempts to curb Trump\u2019s war powers against Iran\ndespite the conflict killing Ali Khamenei. Republicans backed the\ninitiative.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/donald-trump-accused-of-not-having-a-clear-plan-for-the-war-in-iran-1772697665",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}