Washington and Tel Aviv have entered into serious discussions regarding a potential ground operation to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, according to a report first published by Axios.
Four sources familiar with these high-level talks indicated to the outlet that the deployment of special forces into Iranian territory is being weighed as a future phase of the ongoing conflict.
A primary war objective for President Trump is the permanent prevention of an Iranian nuclear weapon. Central to this concern is the regime’s current possession of roughly 450 kilograms of 60%-enriched uranium.
Experts note that this material can be converted to weapons-grade quality within a matter of weeks.
Executing such a mission would represent a massive escalation in risk, requiring American or Israeli troops to infiltrate heavily fortified underground bunkers in the midst of active hostilities.
It is currently unclear if the mission would be a unilateral American effort, an Israeli operation, or a joint task force. Sources suggest that such a move would likely only be greenlit once officials are certain that Iran’s military can no longer mount a significant counter-threat to the ground teams.
How Would The US Accomplish This
U.S. officials have outlined two primary tactical paths for the material: physically extracting it from Iran or deploying nuclear experts to dilute it on-site to render it useless for weaponry. This would likely pair elite special operators with scientists, potentially including representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to Axios.
This plan has been on the table since before the war began, having been presented to Trump as part of a broader “menu of options.”
Recent reports from NBC News and Semafor have also highlighted discussions regarding the deployment of small U.S. contingents for strategic raids on nuclear infrastructure.
One U.S. official highlighted the immense logistical hurdles involved, stating, “The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?” The official added that the final decision to transport or dilute the material would rest with the President, the Department of War, and the CIA.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, President Trump signaled that ground troops remained a possibility, provided there was a “very good reason.”
He suggested that any such move would only happen if the Iranian military was already severely weakened. “If we ever did that, [the Iranians] would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight on the ground level,” Trump said.
When pressed on whether those troops would specifically target nuclear material, Trump did not dismiss the idea.
“At some point, maybe we will. We haven’t gone after it. We wouldn’t do it now. Maybe we will do it later.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios that the President “wisely keeps all options available to him open, and does not rule things out.”
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