President Donald Trump is considering military options that could eventually include deploying U.S. special operations forces into Iran to secure or destroy highly enriched uranium stockpiles, according to multiple reports as the conflict with Tehran enters its second week.
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the United States has not yet targeted Iran’s nuclear material directly but suggested such an operation could occur later if necessary.
“Right now we’re just decimating them, but we haven’t gone after it,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s uranium stockpile. “But something we could do later on. We wouldn’t do it now.”
According to Axios, U.S. and Israeli officials have discussed the possibility of sending special operations units into Iran to seize or neutralize the regime’s supply of highly enriched uranium once Iranian military capabilities are sufficiently weakened.
Intelligence estimates indicate Iran currently possesses around 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to roughly 60 percent, a level that experts say could potentially be refined into weapons-grade material within weeks.
Officials are reportedly weighing several options for dealing with the material if a raid were conducted. One possibility would involve removing the uranium from Iran entirely, while another could involve diluting it on-site with the assistance of nuclear specialists. In such a scenario, scientists from organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could potentially assist alongside special operations personnel.
NEW: American intelligence agencies have determined that Iran or potentially another group could retrieve Iran’s primary store of highly enriched uranium even though it was entombed under the country’s nuclear site at Isfahan by U.S. strikes last year, according to multiple…
— Ronen Bergman (@ronenbergman) March 8, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio alluded to the logistical challenges earlier this week during a congressional briefing when lawmakers asked how the uranium might be secured.
“People are going to have to go and get it,” Rubio said, without specifying which country’s forces might carry out such a mission.
A U.S. official told Axios that major operational questions remain unresolved, including determining the exact location of the uranium and how troops would safely access and secure it.
“The first question is, where is it?” the official said. “The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?”
Military planning for such missions is not new. Semafor reported that the U.S. military and Israel have long studied the possibility of commando raids targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, including sites such as Isfahan, Fordow, and Qom.
Elite units like the U.S. Army’s Delta Force regularly train for counter–weapons of mass destruction (counter-WMD) operations, which are designed to locate, secure, or destroy nuclear materials in hostile environments.
Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine Corps interrogator and special operations specialist, told Semafor that such missions are specifically designed for situations involving unsecured nuclear material.
“They practice that. They’re proficient at that,” Hackett said, describing operations intended to capture or neutralize so-called “loose nukes.”
The renewed focus on Iran’s uranium supply follows intelligence reports that some nuclear material may still be recoverable at sites previously struck during last year’s U.S.–Israeli air campaign.
According to The New York Times, intelligence officials believe Iran could potentially access uranium buried beneath the Isfahan nuclear complex through a narrow opening, raising concerns that the material could eventually be recovered or relocated.
U.S. intelligence agencies are reportedly maintaining constant surveillance of the site and believe they would detect any attempt by Iranian personnel to retrieve the uranium.
Much of Iran’s enriched uranium is believed to be stored in underground tunnels at Isfahan, with smaller quantities at facilities in Fordow and Natanz.
President Trump on Saturday left open the possibility of sending ground troops into Iran if it were for a “very good reason.”
“I would say if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” the president told reporters… pic.twitter.com/d102J6GOgO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 8, 2026
Despite previous airstrikes on these locations, U.S. planners chose not to attempt retrieval at the time due to the high risk involved in inserting troops into heavily defended territory.
Any future commando raid would likely require additional air operations to further weaken Iran’s defenses before ground forces could move in.
Trump acknowledged the dangers involved, saying any such mission would only occur once Iranian forces were sufficiently degraded.
“I would say if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” he said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president intends to keep all options available as the conflict continues.
“President Trump wisely keeps all options available to him open and does not rule things out,” Leavitt told Axios.
For U.S. officials, the central objective remains preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
