According to three diplomatic officials briefed on the matter, President Trump has considered sending special operations ground troops into Iran to seize enriched uranium. The White House has weighed this option due to fears the material may have been moved and can no longer be monitored, sources indicate. S.
and Israeli intelligence since last June's conflict, according to sources. Roughly 441 kilograms of highly enriched uranium were stored at a complex near Isfahan, sufficient for about a dozen nuclear warheads, according to sources. S.
officials estimate the uranium could yield 11 bombs, sources say. Iran also holds over 8,000 kilograms of lower-enriched uranium, according to sources. The exact current location and security status of Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile remains unknown.
S. and Israeli officials are actively searching for the stockpile and have prepared contingency plans including special operations deployments, according to one official familiar with discussions. S.
is considering sending special forces to Iran to seize nuclear stockpiles jointly with Israel, according to four sources familiar with discussions. S. or Israeli troops on Iranian territory, moving in heavily fortified underground facilities during war, sources indicate.
They haven't been able to get to it and at some point, maybe we will.
The regime's 450 kg of uranium enriched to 60%—convertible to a weapon within weeks—is key to achieving this goal, according to sources. Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is one of Trump's stated war goals. Washington had two pathways to neutralize the uranium: dilute it on-site or remove it from Iran, according to a senior Trump administration official.
S. official said. S.
or Israel will proceed with a ground operation to seize nuclear materials, and if so, the timing and scale, remains uncertain. However, the White House denied planning to send troops. ' White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt stated the story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources not involved in the president's national security team and lacking full knowledge of discussions.
No decisions or orders have been made regarding troop deployment, officials said. Trump has shown 'serious interest' in deploying a small number of troops for strategic purposes, not a full-scale invasion, to control Iran similarly to Venezuela, according to military insiders. S.
S. S. official, and another person familiar with discussions.
We wouldn't do it now.
S. -Venezuela dynamics, sources said. Trump's discussions are not about a large invasion but a small troop deployment for specific strategic purposes, officials indicated.
, including oil production benefits, according to sources. S. strategy for post-war Iran, including governance and oil production arrangements, is not fully defined.
Publicly, Trump has not ruled out sending 'troops on the ground' in Iran, though the war is currently limited to air operations. ' Trump's private discussions show greater willingness than his public statements, sources claim. The specific conditions under which President Trump would authorize troop deployments to Iran are unclear.
Trump demanded 'unconditional surrender' and no negotiations without it, according to sources. S. are targeting Iran's military, leadership, and nuclear program, sources say.
S. soldiers have been killed and 18 injured from Iranian counterattacks. S.
force deployment could increase tensions and risks to American personnel, sources indicate. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for attacks on Gulf Arab states and insisted Tehran would halt them, attributing them to miscommunication, according to sources. S.
and Israeli forces for potential joint operations in Iran is not publicly detailed. Senator Marco Rubio commented, 'People should go get it,' reflecting congressional perspectives on securing nuclear materials.