President Donald Trump is weighing a highly complex and potentially explosive military operation to send US special operations forces deep inside Iran to seize its stockpile of enriched uranium.
The move could drag American troops into hostile territory for days - or even a week - and risk a dramatic escalation of the war. It was reportedly one of many being proposed by the Pentagon.
US officials say the stealth plan would target nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium at either one or two nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan.
The objective would be to remove the radioactive substance entirely from Iranian control, eliminating any pathway to a nuclear weapon.
The proposal remains under review, and Trump has not signed off on it. But officials told The Wall Street Journal he is seriously considering the option, even as advisers warn of the dangers to American forces and the possibility of a broader conflict.
Military experts say the operation would be among the most difficult missions the US could undertake.
American forces would likely need to fly into heavily defended territory, potentially under fire from Iranian air defenses and drones, before securing the nuclear sites believed to house the material.
Once on the ground, combat troops would be tasked with locking down the perimeter while specialist teams locate, secure and prepare the uranium for transport.
'This is not a quick in and out kind of deal,' retired Gen. Joseph Votel, a former commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, told the Journal about the potential mission.
Officials say the uranium is believed to be stored in multiple hardened locations, including underground facilities such as those at Isfahan and Natanz - sites that have already been targeted in previous strikes.
The military buildup already underway underscores how seriously the option is being considered.
Several hundred US special operations troops - including Army Rangers and Navy SEALs - have arrived in the region, according to The New York Times, joining thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers.
The commandos have not yet been assigned specific missions, officials said, but could be deployed across multiple flashpoints: safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz, assisting in a potential operation to seize Kharg Island, or taking part in a mission targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Roughly 2,500 Marines and 2,500 sailors have recently arrived in the region, while about 2,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have also been ordered in.
Altogether, more than 50,000 US troops are now positioned across the Middle East - about 10,000 more than usual - spread across bases and ships in countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Despite the buildup, military analysts caution that even this expanded force would face enormous challenges if ordered into Iran.
Experts note that while special operations forces could conduct targeted missions, any sustained ground campaign in a country as large and heavily armed as Iran would require vastly larger troop numbers.
Behind the scenes, Trump has also instructed advisers to press Iran to hand over the material voluntarily as part of any negotiated end to the war.
According to a person familiar with his thinking, the president has made clear that Iran 'can't keep' the uranium - and has discussed taking it by force if diplomacy fails.
During a recent speech, Trump underscored how central the material is to his strategy, calling it 'the nuclear dust.'
At the same time, the White House has sought to emphasize that no final decision has been made.
'It's the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander-in-chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the president has made a decision,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Experts say extracting the uranium would require far more than just a simple raid.
The material is believed to be stored in dozens of specialized cylinders, each of which would need to be carefully handled and placed into protective transport casks to prevent contamination or accidents.
Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University and former US nuclear negotiator with Iran, said the process could involve 40 to 50 such containers - enough to fill multiple transport vehicles.
If no suitable airfield is available, US forces might need to construct a temporary one to move the material out, further extending the operation.
The mission could take several days, or even a full week to complete, according to analysts.
As Trump weighs his options, the Pentagon is rapidly positioning forces across the region.
Additional ground forces could be sent to further bolster capabilities, with officials saying up to 10,000 troops are under consideration for deployment.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled that the US is prepared for multiple scenarios, while still holding out hope for a diplomatic resolution.
'The president has kept his eye focused on nuclear capabilities,' Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing on March 13.
'We have a range of options, up to and including Iran deciding that they will give those up, which of course we would welcome.'
'I would not, never tell this group or the world what we're willing to do or how far we're willing to go, but we have options, for sure,' he added.
The potential operation comes as Trump faces competing pressures: avoiding a prolonged war while achieving his stated goal of preventing Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon.
Officials say the president has indicated he wants the conflict resolved within weeks, not months, and has privately expressed reluctance to commit to a drawn-out ground engagement.
At the same time, diplomatic channels involving intermediaries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt remain active, although no direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran have yet taken place.
If Iran were to agree to surrender its uranium, US officials say the need for a risky military mission could be avoided entirely echoing past operations in Kazakhstan and Georgia where nuclear material was removed without combat.
On Sunday, Trump said Sunday a deal 'could be soon' amid negotiations with Iran, revealing 20 more oil tankers were set to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a 'sign of respect'.
Trump claimed Tehran was 'basically begging' for peace negotiations and the regime was desperate to cut a deal after suffering what he characterized as heavy losses on the battlefield.
'We’re doing extremely well in that negotiation. But you never know with Iran, because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,' he added while speaking to reporters on Air Force One.
'I think we’ll make a deal with them, but it’s possible that we won't,' Trump continued. 'I do see a deal in Iran. It could be soon.'
When asked by Libby Alon of Channel 14 Israel whether the US could take control of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump replied: 'Yes, of course, it's already happening.'
The strategically vital waterway, which serves as a conduit for roughly one-fifth of global oil supply, has been partially closed by Iran. The result has sent oil prices skyrocketing.
Trump also referred to the essential waterway as the 'Strait of Trump,' something he made a pointed joke about during a speech on Friday.
'We're negotiating now, and it would be great if we could do something, but they have to open it up. They have to open up the Strait of Trump - I mean Hormuz,' Trump said at the Saudi-backed Future Investment Initiative Priority forum in Miami, prompting laughter before adding: 'Excuse me, I'm so sorry… there's no accidents with me.'
In a separate interview with the Financial Times, Trump went even further - openly discussing seizing Iran's oil infrastructure.
'To be honest with you, my favorite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: "Why are you doing that?", But they're stupid people,' he said.
Trump specifically pointed to Kharg Island, through which most of Iran's oil exports flow, as a potential target.
'Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options,' he said. 'It would also mean we had to be there [on Kharg Island] for a while.'
Asked about Iranian defenses on the oil-rich island, Trump added: 'I don't think they have any defense. We could take it very easily.'
He compared the idea to US involvement in Venezuela, suggesting Washington could control oil production 'indefinitely.'
The stakes were already rippling across global markets Sunday night. Brent crude surged above $116 a barrel, near its highest level since the conflict began. after jumping more than 50 percent in a month.
Trump said indirect talks with Iran, conducted via Pakistani intermediaries, are 'going very well,' but he also issued a stark ultimatum.
He has set an April 6 deadline for Tehran to accept a deal - or face strikes on its energy sector.
'We've got about 3,000 targets left - we've bombed 13,000 targets - and another couple of thousand targets to go,' Trump said. 'A deal could be made fairly quickly.'
Trump also made a series of claims about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had allowed tankers through as a 'sign of respect'.
'They gave us 10,' he said. 'Now they're giving 20 and the 20 have already started and they're going right up the middle of the Strait.'
He claimed Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the country's parliament speaker, personally authorized the move.
'He's the one who authorized the ships to me', Trump said. 'Remember I said they're giving me a present? And everyone said: "What's the present? Bulls***." When they heard about that they kept their mouth shut and the negotiations are going very well.'
The Strait of Hormuz has become the focal point of the confrontation.
The narrow passage, long considered one of the most critical arteries in global energy supply, has been effectively choked by the conflict, sending shockwaves through oil markets and raising fears of a broader regional war.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned earlier that Iran could attempt to impose a 'tolling system' on vessels transiting the strait, signaling a potential long-term disruption to international shipping.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts are underway. Pakistan is hosting talks involving the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia aimed at de-escalating the crisis, even as rhetoric on both sides hardens.
