As US President Donald Trump seriously considers deploying his troops on the ground inside Iran, a report has emerged stating that the US and Israel are discussing the possibility of sending special forces into Iranian territory to take control of Tehran’s 450 kilograms of enriched uranium stockpile.
It is estimated that Iran possesses a stockpile of 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to a level of 60% at its underground nuclear sites. This can be enriched to 90 per cent, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. The US intelligence agencies believe that Iran can still access and move the fuel through a very “narrow access point”. The enriched uranium had previously been thought to have been buried underground by US strikes during last year’s strikes. The CIA is reportedly watching the facility keenly for any attempt on the Iranian side to retrieve the Uranium.
However, as per a report that appeared in Axios, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about it during a Congressional briefing on Tuesday. On whether Iran's enriched uranium would be secured, Rubio said: "People are going to have to go and get it," he said, without specifying who.”
An Israeli defence official told Axios that Trump and his team were seriously considering sending special operations units into Iran for specific missions. One of the two options, removing the material from Iran entirely or bringing in nuclear experts to dilute it on-site, would be considered.
However, an operation to seize the nuclear material is expected to be particularly complex as these are well-fortified underground facilities deep inside Iran. Such an operation would require the presence of American or Israeli forces on Iranian soil during the war. However, it is still unclear whether this would be an American, Israeli, or joint operation. According to estimates, such an operation would only be carried out after the United States and Israel are certain that Iran's military capabilities do not allow it to pose a significant threat to the forces operating on the ground.
The report also quoted a US official who stated the operational challenge of securing Iran's uranium: "The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it, and how do we get physical control? And then, it would be a decision of the president and the Department of War, CIA, as to whether we wanted to physically transport it or dilute it on premises," he added.
There are other reports that Trump had discussed the possibility of deploying a small force of US troops in Iran, for “limited strategic needs”.
