Utilizing particular operations forces to grab Iran’s enriched uranium, believed buried deep underground at nuclear websites bombed by the U.S. final 12 months, would probably require a big American pressure on the bottom, in line with former protection officers.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump informed reporters aboard Air Power One which he was not ruling out the attainable use of U.S. floor troops in Iran, however that they’d be used solely “for an excellent cause.”
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters whereas touring aboard Air Power One en route from Dover Air Power Base, Del., to Miami, March 7, 2026.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
He later mentioned, “we would not do it now, perhaps later,” when requested if he would use floor troops to safe the enriched uranium at Iran’s nuclear websites.
On Monday, Trump told the New York Post that he was “nowhere close to” a call on potential floor operations in Iran. “We have not made any determination on that. We’re nowhere close to it,” Trump mentioned.
Seizing all or a portion of Iran’s know stockpile of 970 kilos of uranium at present enriched to 60% will probably require the usage of U.S. particular operations forces given their elite specialised coaching and obligations mentioned two former U.S. officers.
Iran has additionally enriched an extra 2,200 lbs. of uranium that has been enriched to twenty%, however that the U.S. says might be enriched to weapons grade uranium in three to 4 weeks.
A satellite tv for pc picture reveals a better view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new constructing injury, amid the U.S.-Israeli battle with Iran, close to Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026.
Vantor by way of Reuters
For years, Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity for what it mentioned have been civilian use, however the U.S. countered that enrichment far exceeded what was wanted for that objective. Uranium used for civilian functions is often enriched to wherever between 3 to lower than 20%.
U.S. officers have famous that, after “Operation Midnight Hammer” final June during which Trump mentioned Iran’s nuclear functionality was “obliterated,” it might take Iran only one week to complement that uranium even additional to the weapons-grade degree of 90% that might be used for nuclear weapons.
“They may, actually, inside a brief time period, per week to 10 days on the 60%, and perhaps a month on the 20%, they may have 1500 kilograms of weapons grade, which might not be 11 bombs, however be 40 or 50 bombs,” a U.S. official mentioned.
Stopping Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon is among the three key aims the Trump administration needs to realize from its army motion in opposition to Iran, the opposite two are neutralizing Iran’s ballistic missile risk and destroying Iran’s navy.
Showing on Information Nation Monday night time, former Protection Secretary Mark Esper, who served in that function throughout President Trump’s first time period, agreed with the necessity for a big pressure and cautioned that any U.S. army mission to safe the uranium could be “very perilous, very harmful.”
Usually, particular operations raids contain a small group of operators finishing up a mission whereas a bigger pressure gives perimeter floor safety and air energy from above to guard in opposition to a floor assault.
However securing Iranian nuclear websites and the enriched uranium that lies beneath would probably require a a lot bigger pressure, in line with the officers given the scope of the mission.
A satellite tv for pc picture reveals un-buried tunnel entrances at Isfahan nuclear complicated, in Isfahan, Iran, Nov. 11, 2024.
Vantor by way of Reuters
Getting in with a bigger particular operations pressure is “an inexpensive assumption,” in line with the previous protection official who mentioned that every of the choices should not unique of one another.
As with every particular operations mission, the official mentioned the mission begins out with establishing a safety perimeter “so nothing can get out, and nothing can get in” all whereas airpower overhead ensures that the perimeter pressure is just not overwhelmed.
Regardless of the administration decides to do would decide how lengthy these forces might keep on the bottom, the previous official mentioned, asking would the administration need all of the buried enriched uranium to be seized or would particular operations forces destroy what stays of the amenities to make them unreachable to anybody?
No matter what sort of mission doubtlessly is chosen “You go in, take out what you possibly can take out. If there’s something left, you blow it up so no person else can ever use it,” mentioned the official. “Blow it up so utterly,” mentioned the previous protection official. “And you are able to do that, in order that it is unusable.”
This handout satellite tv for pc picture courtesy of Vantor taken on Sept. 16, 2002, and launched on March 2, 2026, reveals a view of the Natanz nuclear complicated facility underneath development with the car ramp and personnel entrances seen close to Natanz, Isfahan province, Iran.
Vantor by way of AFP by way of Getty Photos
Mick Mulroy, an ABC Information contributor and former assistant secretary of protection for the Center East, believes that an try to safe all the uranium stockpile would require U.S. particular operators to be on the bottom for a while.
That may occur initially with an airborne pressure seizing the world to determine a protecting cordon enabling a large assault pressure of elite items from Joint Particular Operations Command to safe the amenities.
What may comply with could be the insertion of army engineers to use the scene to find the uranium, however Mulroy says higher intelligence is required.
“My query is will we even know the place the fabric is or whether or not we are able to get to it because it is likely to be buried,” mentioned Mulroy.
On Monday, Rafael Grossi, Director Normal of the Worldwide Atomic Power Company, informed reporters in Paris that the company assumes that about half of Iran’s uranium enriched to 60% is believed to be saved in barrels at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear website,
“That materials was in barrels, in barrels that have been sealed by the IAEA. So it stays to be seen whether or not they’re nonetheless there, however the widespread assumption is that they’re nonetheless there,” mentioned Grossi.
