US said to weigh special forces mission to secure Iran’s enriched uranium
United States and Israel reportedly discussed possibility of deploying operations forces into Iran to secure country’s stockpile of uranium
TEHRAN (MNTV) — The United States and Israel have reportedly discussed the possibility of deploying special operations forces into Iran to secure the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium during a later stage of the ongoing conflict, according to media reports on Saturday.
The discussions have focused on preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Axios reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Iran is believed to possess roughly 450 kilograms (around 992 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%. Experts say such material could potentially be converted into weapons-grade uranium within weeks.
Any mission to secure the material would likely require US or Israeli personnel to enter heavily fortified underground nuclear facilities inside Iran. It remains unclear whether such an operation would be carried out by American forces, Israeli troops, or a joint team.
During a congressional briefing on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about plans to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
“People are going to have to go and get it,” Rubio said, without specifying who might conduct the operation.
Two possible approaches
A US official said policymakers have discussed two main options.
One proposal would involve removing the enriched uranium from Iran altogether. Another would send nuclear specialists to dilute the material at the facility where it is stored.
The mission could include special operations personnel working alongside nuclear experts, potentially including specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The discussions come months after US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June. President Donald Trump initially said the attacks had “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.
However, he later warned that Tehran could be “two weeks” away from developing a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump said deploying US ground forces remained possible under certain circumstances.
“If we ever did that, the Iranians would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight on the ground level,” he said.
When asked whether troops might be sent specifically to secure nuclear material, Trump said such a move could happen later.
“At some point maybe we will. We haven’t gone after it. We wouldn’t do it now. Maybe we will do it later,” he said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “wisely keeps all options available to him open.”
A senior US official said the discussions have centered on limited special operations missions rather than a large-scale troop deployment.
“Small special ops raids — not a big force going in,” a source told Axios.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
